Shattered Hearts
by SpacePirateGirl
Summary: Prince Sasuke and Princess Sakura are engaged to form an alliance. But what happens when the most feared bandits in the land plot to capture Sasuke? Will Sakura finally gain Sasuke's love, or will their hearts become shattered at their losses? SxS & more
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N**_**: Some of these family relationships will be a little awkward because my crazy brother and I came up with them . . . You'll see what I mean when you start reading. But if you get past the awkwardness of it, I hope you enjoy!! :-D And Sakura and Sasuke will be in the next chapter because in the prologue, they aren't even born yet.**

**One more thing: OMG! I am neglecting my other fan-fictions to write this silly thing! :-O I'm a traitor! But don't worry . . . I'm writing all of them at once. I'm just not finishing chapters of each, at once. Since I'm a neglectful person of my stories, don't expect this to be updated regularly. Thanks!! Enjoy!!**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Naruto or its characters, but I own this fan-fiction idea. (It's a crazy idea, I know. But my brother came up with it! I swear he did! I'm only writing it! :-D Well... Maybe I came up with a little of it… Uh, enjoy!!)**

_**Warning**_**: This chapter will have a tiny bit of language, and a little reference to . . . sex. :-O But it's not that much of a deal, so don't worry. Yep.**

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Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_Prologue_

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

_(Seventeen Years and Ten Months Ago)_

She couldn't believe the castle was under siege after all these years of peace. And Orochimaru was serious about attacking, too! He had millions of men, attacking the castle right now, relentlessly and mercilessly.

Hurrying around, Shizune saved the lives of those who she could with her medical skills. Many of her subordinates were running around, as well, doing the same as she was. It was a battle. Many would be lost, but if they could save even a small portion, they would do everything they could.

Seeing a dying soldier, she ran toward him, hoping to save him before it was too late.

Except it wasn't too late. This time, it was too early. The soldiers had not left yet.

As soon as she knelt down beside the man, she was surrounded by King Orochimaru's men. They were arguing over something.

"We got here first," one of them with silver hair claimed. "Back off. She's ours."

"No, _we_ got here first," a woman with red hair protested. "Besides, there's four of us, and only three of you assholes. You really think it's a good idea to fight over just a wimpy bitch like her?"

A man with very lightly shaded lavender hair stepped next to his obvious partner. "That's right, Suigetsu. _Your _team should back off."

Shizune's eyes widened when she realized what they were fighting over—her. "What do you want?" she demanded angrily. "Have you no mercy for someone trying to save lives?"

The group of Orochimaru's knights glanced at her indifferently, but then turned back to each other, totally ignoring her words.

"Obviously, this is going to become a problem," a different woman with red hair claimed. "We can share the reward of capturing her equally between our two teams."

"Stop acting like an idiot, Karin," Suigetsu ordered, even though he appeared to be on the same team as her. "We're taking the whole reward, not just half of it. Like I said, back off, _Tayuya_," he said now talking to his red-haired opponent. "We'll fight for her if we have to."

"Suigetsu . . ." said another man from behind.

The woman named Tayuya laughed. "I'm up for a fight, eh, Sakon?"

Sakon debated the issue for a fraction. "No. We'll waste time, and she'll escape. Leave her to us, Suigetsu."

"_You_ leave her to us."

Karin sighed. "Okay. That's enough. How about we let her decide who to come with."

Shizune backed away fearfully as their gazes returned to her. "What do you want?" she repeated angrily, her hand discreetly reaching for a dagger near her belt of medical supplies. She knew that women weren't technically supposed to fight, but she was equipped with a weapon, just in case the worst happened. And the worst had just happened.

"Well, woman? What's it going to be?" Suigetsu questioned, stepping toward her.

She sprang and plunged the dagger into his shoulder.

He yelped in either surprise or pain, yet pulled back, yanking the dagger from her hand. Then he pulled it from his body, amused at her feeble attack.

"Fuck you!" she screamed and began running away, running as fast as she possible could. Her fierce façade dropped immediately, and she knew if she wasn't running, she would be hyperventilating. "Somebody, help!"

Her feet tripped over one of the many bodies outside Konohagakure Palace, and suddenly Shizune screamed as ground drew closer to her face.

Pound.

Her face collided with the dirt, and Orochimaru's knights had caught up with her. She felt a sword's very tip as it pricked her neck. Struggling not to wince in pain, Shizune brought her face off the ground and spit out the dirt she had in her mouth.

"Looks like I got her," said Sakon.

"Damn it! Why'd she have to stab me?" That voice was Suigetsu's.

The female on his team sighed in frustration. "Maybe next time you won't let your guard down, you idiot. Let's go tell the rest of the army to pull back. Orochimaru has what he wants."

Tayuya agreed with a small noise. "Right. We'll take care of this wench here."

Shizune heard fading footsteps as one of the two groups walked away. Her neck was burning with pain from where the sword was pointing. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized she was captured. She had heard stories of prisoners of war, and how they suffered the awful tortures of interrogation.

Rough hands yanked her up, and she struggled until the sword plunged deeper into her neck. Letting out a scream of pain, Shizune struggled no more.

"I don't see why the hell Orochimaru wanted _her_," the one name Sakon commented to his three partners. "She's not even that tough."

Throb.

Shizune clenched—her eyes shut tightly, hoping they hadn't damaged any vital part in her neck when they recklessly pulled the sword out.

"It doesn't matter," said a voice she hadn't heard before, but she suspected it belonged to the larger one with a mostly bald head. "Orochimaru's orders. We don't question—only obey."

Tayuya sauntered around Sakon and eyed Shizune menacingly, paying no heed to proximity. "Listen, woman. If you even _try_ an escape, you'll wish you were never born. Got it?"

Shizune glared straight back, but still she nodded in fear of what would happen.

"Good. Orochimaru-sama will appreciate your obedience."

Orochimaru wanted _her_ of all people. But why? Recently she knew Tsunade had fled Orochimaru and had married Jiraiya instead. The Queen had hated Orochimaru's ways, and thought Konohagakure was a much nicer place to live.

Now Orochimaru had no possible way to have an heir, ever since Tsunade left him. Was . . . that why he wanted her?

"Move it," Sakon ordered, and she found herself being pulled away into enemy territory—eventually to Orochimaru's castle, she knew.

Shizune understood there was no point in resistance, but still she believed she would be saved somehow. Somehow.

_(Fourteen Years and Seven Months Ago)_

"You've given birth to a daughter, Tsunade," the nurse explained happily.

A daughter? Jiraiya had wanted a son . . .

The nurse strolled over, and placed the baby in Tsunade's arms. She laughed, forgetting the gender of her child. The girl was lovely, and as soon as she saw Tsunade's face, she stopped crying and even made an expression that looked like an attempt at a smile.

Sooner before later, the nurse took the baby away from Tsunade. Ever since Shizune had been captured—for a little more than three years—the Queen had claimed the new position as head of the medical unit. After all, she had taught Shizune the ways of healing, and since Shizune had been imprisoned, Tsunade was the only one suited for the job. It had become troublesome though when she had found herself pregnant and unable to help herself give birth.

_Oh, Shizune, I wish you were here to see my child._

The nurse returned with Jiraiya, who was holding the baby girl in his arms.

"You wanted a boy," Tsunade said hesitantly.

Jiraiya looked up toward her, a joyful expression on his face. "I don't care now that I've seen this little beauty," he teased, gesturing to the baby in his arms.

Tsunade smiled. "Since she's not a boy, we'll need to decide on a different name," she said. "Any ideas?"

"Nope," Jiraiya admitted.

The baby started crying, and Tsunade reached out a hand to the girl, patting her on the head. After a few moments of comfort from Jiraiya and Tsunade, their daughter stopped whining.

The nurse saw this and smiled cheerfully as she opened the window, allowing the light to seep in. "What a beautiful season to birth a child," she commented. "The time of the cherry blossoms."

Tsunade glanced out the window, and nodded in agreement as she saw pink on the castle grounds outside. Pink petals.

"Sakura," Jiraiya said suddenly, jolting Tsunade's attention back to the baby girl.

Tsunade frowned in confusion. "What?"

"We'll name her Sakura," Jiraiya explained.

Sakura, the word meaning cherry blossom. "Perfect," Tsunade agreed.

The girl—Sakura—was perfect in every way for Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Yet somewhere far away, a three-year-old boy watched as his own mother gave birth to a baby girl, her third child including him. The screams of pain rang in his ears as the nurse tried to calm the patient down. He had heard giving birth to a child was not easy, and his mother had done it three times.

Soon his father was holding the baby girl as his mother still overcame the pain, the torture of giving birth, even after the deed was done. The boy glanced at his younger brother who was standing beside him, completely emotionless, utterly indifferent.

The three-year-old removed his gaze from his careless brother and glared at his father when no one was looking. How could his father hold this girl—the boy's little sister—in his sick and sinful hands of his!? Whatever was to happen, the boy swore never to let any harm come to this girl, no matter the cost. He would be sure to keep his promise.


	2. Chapter 2

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_**A/N**_**: Here's chapter 1. Like I said in the prologue, the families will be VERY weird. But I guess I have to spoil you on at least something so that you don't totally go "what in the world"??. But anyway, I can't do anything about Sai being related to Tenten (spoiler!), I can't do anything about Sai and Tenten's mother, but I can do something about Sasuke not being related to Itachi. So don't freak out yet, you'll find out that Sasuke actually has no idea who his family is later in the story (much later). I hope you're enjoying!! And thanks for reviews!!**

_**Disclaimer**_**: Ahh!! My brother read my disclaimer last time, and he was going to destrooy me, lol. So now, I do not own Naruto or its characters, but I do own this particular, crazy idea that has **_**nothing **_**to do with my brother (except for the ideas on who's a peasant, who's a knight, and who everyone is—not who's married to who and stuff). Haha.**

**_Warning_:**** Mild, MILD references to sex again. REALLY, really mild. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's rated T, after all. If you're here, you're here. :D**

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Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Still Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_Love's Surprise_

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_(Konohagakure Palace)_

Sakura Haruno stared at the lovely garden in front of her. Sometimes she longed to sit at this bench forever, admiring the beauty of her surroundings. Sometimes she imagined her father beside her, patting her on the headgently. But in reality her father was busy. She was always left alone to sit at the bench in the garden, without even a sibling to accompany her.

She had been sitting for hours at this very spot, and a squirrel had crept closer to her over the period of time. But suddenly harsh footsteps reached her ears, and the squirrel ran away in fright.

"Sakura, is that you?" a voice rang in her ears.

Standing up, Sakura met the visitor's gaze. Her mother, Tsunade. "Yes, Tsunade-baa-sama."

"Your father would like to see you."

It was rare that her father ever had time to see her, and so usually she was excited. But this time, Tsunade had seemed hesitant—as if what her father had to say could be troublesome.

But Sakura accompanied Tsunade anyway, and followed her back indoors and down the hallways toward her father's office.

"Sakura, this may come as somewhat of a surprise," Tsunade warned, her voice crisp and slightly stern.

Nodding, Sakura asked, "What is it about?"

"You remember the castle to the west of ours? Otogakure Palace?"

"Yes."

"Your father has something to say about Orochimaru's oldest son," Tsunade explained vaguely.

Sasuke. Sasuke was Orochimaru's oldest son. His raven hair perfectly matched his onyx eyes and framed his gorgeous face; any girl in the world would want to marry a prince like him. But he wasn't very nice, and Sakura knew he would never want to be with someone like her. That didn't stop her from dreaming about him though.

Finally Sakura and Tsunade reached her father's office. There, he sat at his desk, his white hair hanging over his face, dark eyes inspecting Tsunade—well, rather a single _part_ of Tsunade.

Sakura suppressed a sigh. Jiraiya, the King of Konohagakure and her father, was very perverted.

"Hello there, Sakura," he greeted cheerfully.

It was hard to imagine that someone so carefree and someone so lecherous could rule a kingdom. But Jiraiya was serious when he needed to be.

Just as she had those thoughts, her father's face turned grim, and she knew whatever she was here for was important.

"I have decided that it is in this country's best interest for you to marry Sasuke Uchiha and forge an alliance," Jiraiya explained.

_(Otogakure Palace)_

"What?" Sasuke demanded, trying to keep his outraged shock to a bare minimum.

Orochimaru laughed, the sound chilling to his bones. "You heard me, Sasuke-kun," he said darkly yet soothingly. "You're to marry Princess Sakura Haruno in a week's time. Our kingdoms are on the verge of a war."

"Why can't Sai marry her then?" He showed no signs of emotion, yet deep within he was enraged. "Why do _I_ have to?"

"Why, you're the oldest, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru explained. "You're more mature and more responsible to be married. Besides, would you rather marry the princess in Sunagakure Palace instead?"

Temari? There was no way he would marry her. But there was no way he would marry Sakura either. At least, out of the two of them, Sakura was more beautiful. He wasn't into girls taller than he was anyway. But seriously, Sakura was so in love with him that he could hardly stand talking to her. All she ever did was try to impress him. Between Temari and Sakura, Temari was better behaved.

Then again, he didn't want to spend a lot of time in a desolate land, full of bothersome problems like sand and wind. He had been there before, and it had not been an enjoyable visit.

Sasuke couldn't decide which was better. A better behaved yet less beautiful princess who lived in a desert; or a pretty, pink-haired princess who would act like such a little girl.

Then his thoughts turned to Sai. If Sasuke married Temari, then Sai would receive exactly what he desired—Sakura. And Sasuke didn't enjoy making his impolite brother marry a pretty girl. That ultimately made his decision.

"Fine. I'll marry Sakura Haruno," he declared and stalked out of the room, ignoring any sounds of approval coming from Orochimaru.

As he slammed the door shut behind him, he almost bumped into Tenten, who was walking by.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke-kun," she said apologetically.

She was about to leave again when Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder. "Have you heard the news?" began Sasuke curiously. If she had, certainly she would feel sorry for him.

But she shook her head. "What news?"

"Orochimaru wants me to marry Sakura Haruno," Sasuke explained.

Tenten let out a sigh of frustration. "I told you not to call Father that. Orochimaru-_sama_, at least. He is a king."

"I am _not_ titling Orochimaru with _sama_, even if he is King" he countered darkly. "But that's not the point. I have to marry Sakura."

"I'm sorry about that, Sasuke-kun." Her face dismal, Tenten took the hand he had placed on her shoulder and pushed it away. "But I have to go."

"Go where?"

"To see Mother." Tenten began walking away slowly but surely, as if she were waiting for Sasuke to follow. He watched her take a few steps before hurrying to catch up to her.

She smiled happily. "You're coming?"

"Yes, I haven't seen her in a while," said Sasuke, who knew Tenten would never see their mother without someone to accompany her.

"Sai never comes to see her," Tenten complained. "He's always obsessed with training and training and more training. At least, you see her . . . sometimes."

Sasuke sighed. "I've got a lot on my mind these days, Tenten."

"At least, you see her sometimes," she repeated again. "Unlike Sai."

He nodded, partially agreeing. It was strange for her to be so sad. But ever since she had discovered where their real mother was, she had grown depressed and upset at times. He hated Orochimaru for that. He hated Orochimaru for a lot of things.

"I think there's something off about Sai, Sasuke-kun," she continued, nervously twiddling with his fingers. "He is distant. He's never acted like he wanted to be a brother to us."

Sasuke took what his sister said seriously. Usually Tenten was very perceptive in seeing things about people and sensing danger. If she felt nervous around Sai, he believed it instantly. Besides, he felt a little nervous around Sai, as well.

"He doesn't like you, Sasuke-kun," Tenten added. "I don't think he wants to hurt me, but . . . maybe you."

Taking the information in, Sasuke nodded. "Be careful around Orochimaru too, Tenten," he warned, careful to keep his voice emotionless.

"I know."

When they reached the prison, deep in the castle's basement, Sasuke vaguely noticed that no one was there to allow guests in to see the prisoners. Usually at this time of day, someone was there, at least, and he glanced around hastily, afraid that something had happened. His eyes glanced over the dark corners, but he saw nothing. Was there somebody here to assassinate them?

The emptiness of the dungeon terrified him, but he did not show any fear. He knew Tenten looked to him for how to feel, and acting afraid would not help things. But where was the guard for the castle's dungeon? Had the guard been . . . killed?

He heard a soft sound as a figure jumped from behind them, but it wasn't as loud as Tenten's shrilling scream. It pierced his ears sharply, and he flipped around, glaring at their attacker.

It was Anko Mitarashi.

Sasuke sighed in relief, yet not without irritation when Tenten started laughing with embarrassment.

"Ha! Got you, didn't I?" she bragged, stepping back to her place next to the only entrance to the prison cells.

Her laughter gone, Tenten bit her lip but said nothing as she eyed the bars, blocking the prison.

"You know, one day, some experienced knight is going to predict your attack, think you're an invader, and kill you by accident," commented Sasuke, amused.

Anko only laughed. "Well, that's probably why I should never let my guard down. I'm always prepared for a counter-attack. No one's ever been ready for me down here yet anyway."

A silence passed before Tenten finally said, "We came to see our mother."

Grimly Anko nodded and opened the jail door. "Sorry about what happened to her—"

Sasuke shook his head to cut her off. He knew how much Tenten despised receiving pity. It only made her more sad.

"Second cell to the left," Anko called out as they plunged the stairs to the most bottom floor of the castle.

She always said which cell, no matter how many times they had been there. Maybe Anko was trying to make the mood lighter by acting as if it were their first time down there. Or maybe it was her job to make sure no guest got lost in the dungeon. Whatever it was, Sasuke knew the remark always lessened Tenten's sorrow.

Finally they reached the door to their mother's cell. As usual, the young woman was facing the corner, adjacent to her attempt at a straw bed. She never saw them come in, at first, until they got her attention.

"Mother," Tenten whispered, every day fearful that the woman would be dead.

Their mother slowly turned her head toward them, her black hair and dark eyes mixing well with the misery of her prison. But nevertheless, she smiled when she saw them. "Hello," she said politely, despite the circumstances. "What brings you two here?"

"To see you, of course, Shizune," Sasuke explained indifferently. Though to an outsider Sasuke would seem cold and aloof, his mother knew he just had difficulty displaying emotions. He was grateful for that.

Shizune's small smile widened a bit more. Then she looked over the two of them, inspecting how they had changed. "You're growing so quickly, Tenten. I remember when you were only as high as Sasuke's waste."

Tenten sadly smiled back at her mother. "Sorry I haven't come down that often. It's . . ."

Her sentence had faded, and Sasuke knew why. Down in the dark dungeon was a scary place for someone as young as her. He tried to come down as much as possible because he knew she was too terrified to do so alone, and Sai never would accompany her.

_It's scary down here_, she would have said.

Shizune shook her head as she stood up and moved closer to them. "It's fine, Tenten. You two live your own lives. You shouldn't even bother coming down and seeing someone like me."

For a prisoner, their mother was kept almost perfectly healthy. Orochimaru, being the sick leader he was, had needed an heir when Tsunade had left him for their rival king, Jiraiya. And, thus, Sasuke knew he had been born when Orochimaru captured Shizune. That was the excuse Orochimaru had always given him: an heir was necessary for the kingdom's survival.

But Sasuke could find several loopholes in it. If all Orochimaru wanted was an heir, then why did Sasuke have two other siblings? Did the sick bastard enjoy torturing this woman, his mother, with sins and wrongdoings? It was immoral, and Sasuke longed to rid everyone of his father one day and change things about Otogakure.

Suddenly Sasuke noticed his sister was struggling not to cry. He put an arm around her shoulders, and spoke comforting words to her, but for some reason she only cried more.

"I wish things weren't like this, Mother," Tenten whispered. "I wish they'd let you out."

Sasuke knew Tenten had never understood why Orochimaru had imprisoned Shizune for the rest of her life. Tenten had never known that if Shizune was free, she would try to kill Orochimaru and she would soon return to Konohagakure, her rightful birthplace. And Tenten hated death, hated loneliness.

Shizune had remained silent, staring at Tenten, both their eyes shining with sympathy at the other's loss.

Sasuke felt as though he were an outsider to this family, a person who only desired more power in order to gain more power. Shizune and Tenten only cared for family members while he stood there, planning the death of his own father.

Suddenly Shizune reached through her prison bars and touched his shoulder. She had sensed him being alienated from their reach. "Sasuke, you're not a little boy anymore. You've grown. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."

He nodded. In a way that Tenten wouldn't understand, Shizune was saying that he _was_ a part of the family. He had matured enough to see things _wrong _with the family, things that he wanted to fix. That didn't isolate him from them; it only brought him closer to them.

Shizune, Tenten, and he. The only part of their family, that actually fit together, that loved each other. Orochimaru and Sai were already lost.

_When the time comes, you'll know what to do._

He wasn't sure of his role in this life yet, but he knew one day he would receive a responsibility, which would lead to burdens. He knew one day everything would change—hopefully for the better.

Tenten's honey-brown eyes stared at Shizune for another few minutes before she began to say, "Until next time." His sister wanted to leave now.

Sasuke glanced at Shizune as well before leading Tenten away from the cells and back up the long flight of stairs.

His marriage to Sakura had almost faded from his mind.

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

Marry Sasuke? She blinked a few times to make sure she was awake, not dreaming, a process she had done several times even hours after Jiraiya had explained the situation to her. Marry Sasuke Uchiha, the Prince of Otogakure?

No. Impossible.

At first, she had been shocked, but soon that emotion transformed into excitement. Hadn't she been thinking about marrying him, just before she reached her father's office? Sakura had nearly jumped with joy!

But after her excitement wore down, she remembered how cold and apathetic he always was toward her. To put it simply, he _hated_ her. While she was excited and overjoyed, he was probably upset out of his mind—except he wouldn't ever show his emotions to anyone.

Then Sakura had turned to denial. Impossible. This marriage would be impossible. Even a dream of marriage was impossible. If he didn't like her in any way at all, she would never get a chance to spend the rest of her life with him . . . She would be stuck in Konohagakure while he would be in Otogakure, and they would never see each other. Their marriage would only be there for an alliance—nothing more.

Somehow her feet had led her back to the garden and back to her favorite bench. She had sat there, thinking about how to get him to appreciate her until she realized that could have been the problem itself. Sakura spent all her time trying to impress him, and he had always seemed annoyed by it.

Maybe her eagerness to make him love her was the problem. Maybe she should simply act herself around the Uchiha, and he would grow to like her over time. Perhaps, he would even . . . want an heir one day, and ask her to be the lucky mother.

Maybe.

_One step at a time, Sakura_, she reminded herself.

Yes, she would first stop harassing him and annoying him. Then she would think more about love. Friendship came first, after all.

And they would be wed the next week. She would have her whole life to become his forever.

She heard distant footsteps approaching, and glanced in the sound's direction. "Oh, hello, Shikamaru," she greeted politely, sliding over on the bench so he could sit down.

"Hey." His hands were in his pockets, and as he took a seat, he stared at the sky above them. There were clouds far away in the villages, and Sakura knew there would soon be a thunderstorm.

"What brings you here?" she asked curiously, attempting to be proper and lady-like. Most of the time, she hated being a princess since the mannerisms were so tiring, so when she was alone, she would always become herself again.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I came because I heard the news about you and Sasuke. So you're getting married, huh?"

Sakura inspected her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap. "Yes, we are." How strange for Shikamaru to actually put effort into being concerned . . .

"I know you love him, Sakura," he began carefully, knowing how much of a crush she had on him. "But you should be careful. He's from a different kingdom. He's a complete stranger—"

Though she knew he meant well, Sakura couldn't help but cut in. "Sasuke is _not_ a bad person. He's very polite," she responded with a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm just saying to be careful. You know how Orochimaru is, and Sasuke is his son."

Disappointed, she sighed. "I'm a princess. They wouldn't dare hurt me."

Shikamaru shrugged again. "Unless they wanted to start a war."

Sakura gave up arguing. He had a point and a good one, too. Shikamaru Nara _always_ had a good point. He was one of the smartest men in Konohagakure—no, he _was_ the smartest man. Probably why he was the top advisor serving under Jiraiya, even at the age of sixteen.

"Well, that's all I came here to say," Shikamaru concluded as he stood up to leave.

She stood as well out of politeness. "Thank you for your advice, Shikamaru," Sakura said gratefully.

He nodded and walked away, his hands still in his pockets.

His words had been right. She was to marry a complete stranger, one that was the son of a twisted man who had captured one of their medical units almost eighteen years ago. Was Sasuke like Orochimaru? Maybe this marriage was not a good idea, after all.

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**_**:**_** This is where some action starts happening. And it's where you meet the nomadic group Dageki! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer****: As you all well know, me no own Naruto. Everyone wished they did, but they don't, so . . . :-D Yeah, you get the idea, LOl.**

**Warning:**** Uh . . . In this chapter . . . Oh yeah, there will be MILD language from Dageki members, I think . . . but again, it is not that bad. That's all!!  
**

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Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_Dageki Strikes_

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_(Somewhere in Konohagakure Country)_

"Naruto! We'll be needing some wood for the stove shortly!" Ayame shouted, hoping he would hear her from his labor out on the field.

Usually Ino would be outside as well, helping Naruto harvest the crops, but Ayame thought it was about time to teach her fourteen-year-old daughter how to cook. It was almost wintertime, and they needed to get as much food as they could before the season ended.

She heard Naruto's distant shout of agreement, and watched from the window as he ran off to the forest.

He was always so eager to do everything, and sometimes Ino would label her twin brother as annoying. But Naruto always had the heart to help people, no matter what they thought of him or how they acted. Ayame knew her son would grow to be a fine man.

Ino hurriedly caught her mother's attention. "The stew's boiling! What do I do?"

"It's done if it's boiling." Ayame pointed to the oven mittens hanging on the wall above the stove. "Use those. Don't burn yourself," she added as Ino carefully took the pot from the stove.

Next, they would have to cook an extra batch since Naruto always enjoyed eating seconds.

For some reason, the air was tense this cloudy day, and it wasn't just because of the approaching thunderstorm. Something else was wrong.

Ayame bit her lip before she turned back to her daughter. "Ino, please go tell Naruto to forget about the wood. Tell him to come back to the house immediately."

"Right." Ino ran off into the forest Naruto had disappeared in. She was running as fast as the wind blew.

Suddenly a huge gust of air went by, and Ayame jumped, startled by its intensity. The drapes on the open windows were blowing wildly, and she raced around, being sure to close every wooden shutter and lock it tightly. Something was definitely wrong.

After she had finished shutting the windows, Ayame stepped outside, awaiting Ino and Naruto's return. Had they been gone too long? No, Ino should have just found Naruto and should be heading back. She would be here shortly.

She glanced at the castle looming far off in the distance and remembered her days there as a mistress. She recalled how she had slept with the King Jiraiya, and had become pregnant. Ayame had fled the castle and back out into the open fields, soon giving birth to the twins, Naruto and Ino, whom she wished would get along better at times.

Ayame turned her gaze to the fields stretching far on the horizon and noticed a small band of people headed her way. Struggling to hide her terror when she realized who they were, Ayame glanced hastily in the direction of the forest for Naruto and Ino.

She caught a glimpse of them as they ran back toward the house. They would make it before the group she had seen arrived, but would they make it unseen? Ayame counted on it. If they noticed her young children . . . she would never see them again.

"Naruto! Ino! Hurry!"

They picked up their paces, and made it back in only seconds. Ayame slammed the door behind them.

"Hide, you two," she whispered frantically as she opened the trap door she had installed in case of anything like this happening.

"Why? What's happening?" Naruto asked rather loudly.

Knowing that whatever was happening was dangerous, Ino hushed him and forced him down into the tiny hiding place.

"Please be quiet, Naruto. Don't make any noise. _They_ have come," Ayame ordered quickly, quietly.

Her twins were silent after she said that. The woman shut the trap door over their heads, and pulled the rug over the crease in the floor. She would have gone in with them, but she knew _they_ would soon realize that there was a hiding place. At least, she could distract them from Naruto and Ino.

A harsh rap banged on her wooden door, and she opened it quickly, a gust of wind hitting her in the face. The thunderstorm had arrived.

A flash of light blinded her momentarily.

Boom.

Lightning and thunder.

"Hello there," said a man, a grin on his face, yet his eyes were foreboding and dangerous.

She vaguely noticed the huge sword hanging on his back, but chose not to stare unless she wanted it cutting her in half. "How do you do?" she greeted politely. Maybe they would pass by. Maybe they would leave her family alone.

Flash.

Rumble.

The foreboding storm had answered her wishful thinking.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Suddenly Ayame realized how many people were standing behind him. At least, ten if not more. She took a step back involuntarily.

"Kisame, no need to act so polite," a man with dark hair and dark eyes said from behind the one presumably called Kisame. His voice was disinterested but somehow calm.

Kisame laughed as Ayame let the whole group of them in without more delay. "It's impolite to use force unnecessarily," he told the person behind him. "Especially on a woman."

Ayame counted their numbers as they entered her home. Exactly ten. She'd be lucky to see them leave and still be in one piece. "What do you want?" she demanded, angry with them for all the stories she had heard. They stole children and made them slaves! They killed needlessly!

A blonde-haired man approached her. His hair was tied up, and he devilishly smiled. "Oh, don't worry, miss. We'll just be taking your children and leaving. You'll receive no harm."

So they _were _here for more children. "What children? I don't have any," she responded, her voice low with warning.

Boom. More thunder.

The rest of the men were searching her house, retaining no care about the neatness of it. They tossed objects around in order to hasten their searches. Ayame did notice one female among the group, but she looked just as fit as a man would be. Her hair was dark and pulled up in a nice bun. A strange white flower had been placed just below the bun for decoration.

Satisfied, one of the men, who carried himself with the mannerisms of a leader, led everyone back to the door. "The woman's right. There are no children here."

"Guess we'll just have to go to the next house then," Kisame agreed and shoved his way out the door.

Ayame bit her lip as the female crossed over the carpet and glanced at the floor curiously.

Another flash of light.

Boom.

"Strange how a woman like you would live all by herself in a land as big as this," said the one who had scolded Kisame for politeness.

The female of the group nodded in agreement, her eyes still inspecting the floor. "Pein," she said, speaking to their leader. "Many homes like this have a hiding spot in case of tornadoes or violent storms. Perhaps, her children are hidden under the floor—under right where I'm standing actually."

Boom! The loudest thunder Ayame had ever heard. The light had nearly blinded her. _No, no, no, no,_ she pleaded.

Pein glanced at the girl in approval. "Remove the rug, Deidara," he ordered the blond man who was still staring at me.

Deidara nodded and pushed the rug away from over the trapdoor.

_No!_

Boom.

"Hey, you were right, Konan." Deidara laughed at the female in front of him. Then he opened the trapdoor.

Naruto's and Ino's fearful faces grew ever more afraid as the invaders loomed to see Ayame's children.

"Naruto! Ino! Run!" she exclaimed from where she stood.

They had no chance, no opening to escape, nowhere to run.

Deidara was about to grab them when Pein suddenly ordered him to stop. "Naruto and Ino, you say?" he asked, staring straight at Ayame.

She was afraid, but it was her children's names that had stopped this organization from taking them momentarily. "Yes."

"Leave the children," Pein commanded crisply. "There'll be more at other houses."

"But, leader-sama, why?" one asked in shock.

Pein frowned. "Because Madara warned us not to touch royalty unless it is Princess Sakura. If we can get her, we will. But these two are none of our concern."

They were after Princess Sakura? But why would they find interest in enslaving her? For ransom? They already had plenty of treasure, no doubt. There had to be another reason.

But right at that moment, Ayame didn't care. All she was concerned about was the wellbeing of her children. They would leave Naruto and Ino alone.

The thunder rumbled quietly for one last time as the organization piled out of her home and left her and the twins in peace. Ayame sighed in relief, and Naruto and Ino climbed out from under the trapdoor. She was honestly surprised that they had escaped with not only their lives but also without injuries.

Ino hugged her mother fiercely while Naruto stood glaring out the open door. "They're after Princess Sakura?" he asked.

"It would appear so, Naruto," Ayame said. "But the castle is heavily guarded. She'll be fine." Ayame knew how much Naruto loved Sakura, yet how marriage between them was impossible.

"We should go warn them—"

"No, Naruto! Don't you think we're lucky enough to still be here right now?" Ayame screamed. "Now shut the door!"

Naruto looked down in anger, yet did as he was told anyway. Silence filled the empty air for a few minutes, and all they could hear were raindrops rattling on the rooftop and the walls of the home.

Finally Ino asked, "Why did they say we were royalty?"

Ayame bit her lip nervously. She had never wanted to tell her children of who their real father was. For all they knew, their father was a crazy man who got drunk one night, which led to Ayame leaving him. Little did they know that they were actually long lost heirs to Jiraiya, the King of Konohagakure.

Naruto nodded in agreement with Ino. "Yeah! Why did they, Ayame?"

She had wanted them to live normal peasant lives, rather than longing for something they could no longer have. Maybe they were long lost princes and princesses, but they were peasants now—the only thing that mattered.

"I don't know." It wasn't exactly a lie. She had no idea why the feared organization of all lands had known Naruto and Ino were children of Jiraiya. And they way they had asked had made her answer simple.

Ino sighed, but went back to cleaning up the carrots for the next batch of stew. Naruto hungrily examined the pot of stew that was already made. "Hey, Ino! This looks tasty!"

"Thanks, Naruto!"

Ayame smiled. It was the first time in a long while that the twins had agreed on something. At least, they had given up on questioning her about what Pein had said.

The rain stopped, and even through the closed door and closed windows, Ayame could still see rays of sunlight.

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

"Dageki has attacked!" exclaimed Yamato, the commander of Konohagakure. Kakashi would have given the report, but he had chosen to organize their forces instead.

Jiriaya looked up from the paper he was holding. "What?'

Dageki, the most feared organization in the entire world. They were powerful; fighting them was nearly impossible, for they would draw back and then launch surprise attacks like a snake. They were supreme guerilla forces.

"What should we do, sir?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Find Shikamaru Nara. We'll need him if we're to understand their attacks and create a counterattack. Leave the rest up to General Kakashi Hatake," he ordered calmly, though he could only imagine what had happened to the peasants living outside the castle gates. Dageki enslaved young children as well as disorganizing a castle's forces.

Suddenly Tsunade barged into the room after Yamato had left. "Did Sakura come here?" she demanded.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "She's missing?"

"I couldn't find her!" Tsunade exclaimed.

The King stood up from his desk and led Tsunade out of his office. Maybe Sakura was simply hiding, instead of what they both thought—Dageki had captured her.

Jiraiya found whom he was looking for—Maito Gai, another commander, and Rock Lee, his apprentice.

"What brings you here, Jiraiya—oops, uh, I mean King Jiriaya now," Gai greeted.

They had served under the late king, Jiraiya's father, together, so Gai always had a habit of forgetting Jiraiya was really in charge of the castle now.

Tsunade began the conversation before he could. "Sakura's missing, and Dageki has attacked."

"Maybe she's hiding somewhere," Jiraiya continued. "But just in case the worst has happened, we want you and your apprentice to find Dageki and see if Sakura's there. If she is there, do anything you can to save her. The last ransom attack almost left us broke, and we won't be able to afford much more."

"She's more than just a princess, Gai. She's our daughter," she added quickly.

Gai nodded, understanding what they wanted.

"We'll do whatever we can to save Princess Sakura!" Rock Lee agreed loudly.

Jiraiya smiled at the young squire. "Thank you both."

* * *

"Let me go!" Sakura screamed, struggling against their arms. She had been trained to fight a little. No one could beat her in a sword fight. But it wasn't "lady-like" to carry around a sword around every where she went. She couldn't fight with just her arms; no one had ever taught her that. "Let me go!" she cried again.

"Quiet, girl, or we'll pierce your heart with my sword," said the woman holding her. Sakura had eventually learned this woman's name to be Konan after they had spoken to each other.

Sakura quieted herself a little, but still she struggled against the grasp holding her back. "Liar. If you kill me, you won't be able to get what you want."

Konan laughed wickedly. "We only need your body. Rumors can be a handy thing when someone's dead."

"My father hardly has any money to spare," she whispered. "He won't be able to afford ransom payments."

Another man she had discovered to be called Pein placed a hand gently on her head as a father would. "Sakura, is it?"

Sakura answered with only a glare.

"We haven't taken you for ransom," Pein explained quietly. "You're to marry Sasuke in a week's time, aren't you?"

She bit her lip, outraged. "You're trying to start a war?" she shouted, and Konan silenced her by putting a hand over her mouth.

In front of them, outside of the shadows, Maito Gai and Rock Lee were speaking to Jiraiya and Tsunade. All she had to do was make one noise, and they would know she was here . . . But Konan had her firmly, and Sakura couldn't make a single noise.

She couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the worried looks on her parents' faces, she knew their conversation had to do with her.

Finally the four of them departed in opposite directions, and Sakura no longer had a chance to escape. Konan pulled the hand on Sakura's mouth away.

"A war? No, Sakura," Pein continued as if there had been no interruption. "We're trying to get Sasuke himself. You're marrying him, right? It is only natural he would try to rescue his fiancée, and he would walk right into our trap.

Sakura laughed at them. "You mean to say that you think _Sasuke_ will rescue _me_?" She continued to giggle insanely. "When pigs fly, he will."

Pein and Konan looked at her curiously, but Konan shook her head. "She's only trying to trick us," Sakura heard her say. "Any chance at getting Sasuke, we'll take."

"Right. Let's go."

Sakura stopped laughing as they yanked her to the castle wall. We're they going to drop her off . . . ?

Pein took something from under his black cloak, and tied it to the wall. It was a rope. He started to climb down it without another word, but paused when he made it halfway.

"You're next," Konan whispered menacingly.

Besides shaking her head, Sakura didn't move. She was afraid of heights, and she didn't know how to climb a rope.

"Climb!" Konan ordered, shoving Sakura forward.

It only made her fears worse when she saw how far down solid ground was. But she knew she would die otherwise, so Sakura took the rope with both hands and flung herself over the castle wall.

Her hands were tired instantly, and Sakura struggled to get her legs to support her.

"Go!" Konan yelled, and Sakura partially released the rope in fright.

She screamed when she felt herself falling, but then realized Pein had brought up a hand and stopped her descent. Konan followed them shortly after, and Pein lowered himself slowly, waiting for Sakura to gain the courage to climb down.

_One step at a time, Sakura_, she told herself. Her head sank to look at her feet when she saw once again how far up they were. _Don't look down!_

A gust of wind blew, and Sakura yelped as the wind yanked the rope from one side to another. Her vision spun rapidly, and she felt the cold sweat leak down her face.

Pein forced her down farther, and Sakura struggled not to scream in terror. She hated heights!

Abruptly Pein's hand that had been steadying her the entire time vanished, and Sakura clutched to the rope as if it was the only thing keeping her up. Where was Pein? What if she fell?

"Sakura, you can look down now," Pein's voice commanded.

She shook her head her head and clenched her eyes shut. Konan's foot suddenly kicked her hands, and Sakura felt herself falling again, screaming as loud as she could until Pein's hands covered her mouth.

_Huh? Where am I?_ Once she had stopped screaming, Sakura looked around and realized she had landed on her bottom, just a foot from where she had been on the rope. Pein pulled her to her feet, and Sakura struggled to avoid looking at the castle wall's height now that they were on solid ground. It only made her dizzy when she recounted scaling it.

Konan yanked the rope from the wall, and it came down instantly. Watching Konan gather up the rope, Sakura bit her lip. She had climbed down a rope that would fall so easily?

Pein chuckled at her reaction. "It's the direction you pull it that loosens the knot," he explained. "Now we have to cross the moat."

Eyes widening, Sakura remembered how the moat was filled with ice-cold water that would freeze anyone trying to cross. They wanted her to overcome _that_ now? They led her to the moat, and she could see two people on the other side. Konan and Pein weren't going to make her swim, were they? _Please, God, no . . ._

The two people across the moat, were pushing across a log, one that appeared to just have been cut down an hour ago. Oh, so that was how they would make it over the mote.

Pein took the end of the log and steadied it with the rope and two Kunai knives so it wouldn't roll over while they went across. Konan told Sakura to start walking across, and she obeyed, still afraid of what they could do to her. Pein followed from behind, and Sakura knew this was her only chance to escape—to plunge into the ice-cold water.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N****: Hi! Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews!  
**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Naruto! :D**

**Warning****: A tiny bit of violence? Maybe a bad word once or twice? I can't remember.**

* * *

Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_The Spy_

* * *

_(Directly Outside Konohagakure Palace)_

She had heard stories of humans who survived the water for several minutes before their body shut down due to the cold. So all she had to do was make it to shore in that time, preferably on the castle's side of the moat. Easy, right? Yeah, except she didn't know how to swim.

It didn't matter right now though. Dageki was after Sasuke, and if she presented a small chance that he would be captured, she wouldn't allow it. Sasuke was everything to her, and she knew she wouldn't allow them to use her as bait.

The moat was long. If she was going to jump into the water, she'd need to do it before they got too far on the log. Now would be the only chance she had.

To Konan's and Pein's great surprise, Sakura leapt from the log and into the water, knowing no one would follow due to the risks.

"Shit! The damn girl!" Konan uttered loudly.

Sakura struggled to keep her head above the water, but her muscles were nonexistent, submerged with freezing water. Already her entire body felt numb. Kicking rapidly, she managed to at least keep her mouth above water. Any thought of reaching the shore was lost in her struggles to stay alive.

She heard someone say, "Let's get out of here," but her mind didn't register it. She coughed every time her head got above the water, instead of getting a decent breath. She was drowning!

"Sakura-chan!" she heard someone exclaim until a loud crash reached her ears. Someone was in the water with her!

She had jumped into the water to escape capture though! She would fail when this person reached her. Suddenly her head was completely above the water, and she found herself moving toward the castle shore. Sakura gasped and choked all at the same time, allowing the two strong arms to pull her to shore.

Another two arms pulled her body out of the water, and her rescuer accompanied her.

After she managed to breathe properly, Sakura looked to see who her rescuers where, and gasped when she saw Maito Gai and Rock Lee. Her sharp intake of breath caused her to choke, and she coughed rapidly for a few moments. Her body still shivered from the cold water.

"H-How did y-you . . . kn-know?" she breathed.

Gai laughed with his jolly voice. "You see, I noticed that all of Dageki's members weren't exactly a part of the attacks on the palace. So I figured it was just a diversion to capture you."

"Yes!" Lee agreed. "We knew they could not have gotten too far, so we scouted around the castle walls to find you."

"We wouldn't have been able to get you away from them if you hadn't jumped off the log though," Gai added thoughtfully. "That was very brave of you."

"Sakura-chan, you are amazing!"

Sakura blushed, embarrassed, as Lee patted her on the back softly. "It was nothing." She knew Lee had a huge crush on her, and she didn't return his love. But he had saved her from the freezing, moat waters. "Thank you, Lee," she said meaningfully and hugged him.

Lee also blushed at the embrace. "I am always here to save you, Sakura-chan," he said.

Sakura smiled gratefully, but her smile soon faded when she remembered what Dageki was after. Sasuke was in danger. She would have to tell her parents so that they could warn him—hopefully in time.

She had learned one thing in her life after seeing them in action many times. Dageki was very quick about getting what they wanted.

_(Somewhere Outside Konohagakure Country)_

"My apologies," Pein began, bowing before his leader, along with Konan. "We were not able to capture Princess Sakura."

Silence. Their masked master said nothing.

"What is our next step, Master?" Pein knew that his leader hated dwelling in the past.

Finally the man asked, "What did you say Princess Sakura told you?"

"She said Sasuke wouldn't lift a finger to save her, sir," Konan explained quickly. "She could have been lying—"

"I asked what she said, not your opinion on it."

"Sorry, sir."

Pein awaited Madara's next words, which would surely alter their plan. For a few minutes, silence overwhelmed everything while his master thought of a new way to capture Sasuke Uchiha. Or, at least, as far as Pein could tell . . . It was too dark to see what Madara was doing.

"Is Sasori to meet the spy from Otogakure tonight when the moon is directly above us?" Madara asked curiously.

Pein nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Good. Tell the spy to open the gates for us tomorrow night when it is dark. Tell him to leave a note a note for Sasuke that we will supply him with tonight."

Konan frowned. "What shall be the essence of the note, sir?"

"I have written it just now," Madara told them, his gloved hand holding out a rolled up parchment. "Give it to the spy. Tell him when he opens the gates for us, he should leave the note onUchiha Sasuke's bed afterwards. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Konan and Pein said together.

Madara nodded. "Then what are you still doing here? Go get my commands done."

_(Otogakure Palace)_

"There. Stay off that arm for a few days, and you'll be better in no time," Kabuto told Sasuke as he finished wrapping the said arm up.

Sasuke leapt of the medical table Kabuto had made him sit on. "You know I have sword training to do. I can't fight as well with my left arm."

"If you leave your arm alone, you'll heal faster for _more_ sword practice," continued Kabuto, a finger adjusting his glasses.

"Damn healers," Sasuke complained. "They only complicate things."

"Not my problem. Why don't you go run along? I'll fill Orochimaru-sama in on what happened."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Orochimaru was coming? He didn't want to speak with that snake at the moment. He left the room quickly, hoping not to run in with his father on the way out. Sasuke needed to find Kimimaru, and ask how he was supposed to train with only one good arm.

As he strolled down the halls, Sasuke glared at his broken arm, which hung limply in a sling. He had broken it after falling from his horse at an awkward angle during lance practice. After Kimimaru had sent him to Kabuto to make sure everything would be all right, Sasuke realized how lucky he had been to break only his arm and then realized how clumsy he had been to fall at all.

He found Kimimaru at the training grounds from where Sasuke had last seen him. Kimimaru saw him and came over to greet him.

"I see you've broken your arm," he said simply, calmly.

Usually hating conversation in general, Sasuke had discovered that Kimimaru was the easiest person to talk to—straight to the point. "So what am I supposed to do now?" Sasuke demanded coldly. He had wanted to practice more with a sword, his favorite weapon, but his left hand just wasn't good enough.

Kimimaru was never phased by Sasuke's attitude. "I suppose you could use your other arm to be competent with both hands."

But he didn't want to! He had been offered that choice many times and had refused each chance because his logic told him becoming stronger with one hand was better than remaining mediocre with both hands. Sasuke shook his head.

"Then you'll just have to be patient."

He sighed angrily, and began to walk away. Despite the ease of talking to Kimimaru, his temper wasn't helping much. There was no point in staying anyway. It was dark enough, and he might as well get to bed.

Taking one last glance at Kimimaru, Sasuke shuddered involuntarily. It was strange to know that a man at _least_ twenty years older than him still appeared to be the same age. Sasuke had asked Orochimaru why none of his men seemed to age, and had gotten a vague answer—magic. But he knew full well that "magic" did not exist.

He had spent a lot of time studying in books for how someone the age of Kimimaru could still appear to be seventeen, and had found a very interesting topic. There were dragons in the land just below Otogakure, dragons that could retain human form for a time, dragons that may not even have known they were dragons while in human form. Finally after years of growing mature enough to understand, Sasuke had formed a certain question about his father: did he control one of those dragons? Was that dragon able to distort age?

"Where are you going?!" he heard a familiar voice call from Otogakure's gates as the anxious words broke into his thoughts.

Another voice answered, "Out of my way."

Sasuke recognized both voices—Sai and Tenten. If Sai was hurting Tenten in any way again, he would kill his younger brother without hesitation. Last time, Sasuke and Sai's fight had been broken up, but Sasuke knew that if another fight occurred, he wouldn't go easy on his own blood. He raced over across the road to the gates, and sure enough, saw Tenten blocking Sai from exiting.

"You leave every night," Tenten countered. "You're up to something, and I want to know what. Tell me where you're going and why!"

"Why do I have to tell you? I could get past you easily," Sai shot back, smiling in an amused manner.

Tenten shook her head. "You wouldn't hurt your own sister!"

"Maybe I would—"

Sasuke took his place in between them. "Enough," he commanded coldly. "Sai, why are you threatening my sister?"

He plastered a smile to his face, but Sasuke knew it was fake. "Threatening her? She's the one standing in my way."

Sasuke's onyx eyes glared at Sai's as Tenten also seethed from behind him. "Answer her questions," Sasuke ordered.

Sai's false smile grew. "I see you've broken your arm, Sasuke. Your right arm, too. What a shame."

He knew his brother's game, and he would not play it. Sai would explain himself, whether he wanted to or not. "I could still beat you with my left arm. Answer her questions!"

Sasuke reached with his left hand for his sword, but he wasn't quick enough. He couldn't even draw it halfway before Sai stepped forward and threw a punch to his stomach. Sasuke bit his lip to hide a yelp when his brother missed and punched his broken arm.

"Out of my way, Sasuke-kun," Sai ordered, still smiling.

He didn't listen.

"Sasuke!" He could hear Tenten's shouts of surprise as Sai shoved him to the ground, and he landed on his broken arm. Sasuke couldn't move; his arm was trapped under his body, and each move he made throbbed in his joints. His fall from his horse had not been in a merciful mood when dealing bruises all over his body.

He growled in both pain and anger when Sai's foot collided with his back. He felt the already broken bone in his arm crushed by the wait imploding upon it. "Farewell, Sasuke-kun," Sai said as he walked toward the gate.

He watched as Tenten got in his way again. "Don't you dare go!" she yelled. "What do you think you were doing to Sasuke?!"

"Tenten, no," Sasuke managed to groan. She was no match for him. She had no idea how to fight.

Reluctantly his sister backed down and let Sai pass. Far off in the distance, Sasuke saw the gate open and close until Tenten knelt down beside him, pushing him onto his back.

He coughed, the dirt close to his face entering his lungs.

"Sasuke, are you all right?" she asked, hesitantly touching his arm in the sling.

He nodded and tried to sit up with only one of his arms helping. His back ached from where Sai had stepped on it, and Tenten wrapped her arms around him, scared of what had happened.

Sasuke's arm hurt even worse than it had before. Maybe he had broken it again . . . _Damn it_, he thought to himself.

"I'm scared," Tenten whispered, still hugging him tightly, despite his efforts to shove her off with one hand. "He's getting mean, Sasuke-kun. Something's wrong. Something bad is going to happen. Soon."

"I'll protect you," Sasuke promised. "He caught me by surprise; I'll be ready next time."

Tenten shook her head. "No, it's not me. It's you. He hates you so much. He's your younger brother, Sasuke-kun. Maybe he wants you dead so that he can take the throne. And now that your arm is broken—"

"I'm fine," he told her, gesturing to his left arm. "Really, I am," he added when she looked at him in disbelief. "Look. My left arm is just as good as my right. I just wasn't expecting his attack is all. I can still defend myself, okay?" His heart squirmed as he spilled lie after lie, and she didn't appear as if she were completely agreeing with him.

But at least, she partly was relieved. "I think Sai . . . is spying on our kingdom. He leaves every night. I've seen him. He doesn't come back until much later."

He nodded, taking the information in. Yes, it was possible—highly possible.

"I think he's spying for Dageki," Tenten continued. "Who else? Konohagakure is too far away for him to be back in an hour. And Dageki is everywhere."

Sasuke nodded again. "I'll speak to Orochimaru about it."

A smile lit her face. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Of course." He paused, scrutinizing her curiously. "Why are you worried about me though? What could Dageki have against me?"

Nervously, Tenten shrugged. "I don't know. If he is in alliance with Dageki, maybe they're planning on capturing you. They love having children as slaves. Or maybe they want ransom money."

It was too simple, Sasuke knew. Princess Sakura would be a much easier target . . . So would his sister, for that matter. Why would Dageki want someone like him for ransom, or even as a slave?

"Please be careful, Sasuke-kun," Tenten whispered.

He smirked. "The only three who can beat me these days are Kimimaru and Orochimaru," he explained. "There's nothing to worry about."

Tenten shook her head and pointed to his arm. "I know you're right-handed. And besides, you haven't fought _everyone_. You can't be sure."

His smirk fell. Tenten was far too perceptive. She wouldn't fall for his lies. "Everything will be okay," he promised, hoping he could keep his word. Otogakure citizens labeled him as cold or rude, and perhaps he was all that they said. But around his little sister, he would do anything to keep her calm, keep her happy. She was important to him, ever since he had seen her born fourteen years ago.

Suddenly Sasuke remembered his marriage to Princess Sakura that was in a week's time. He glanced back down at the sling holding his arm. _This better be healed before then_, he told his body angrily.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N****: I decided to make Obito the son of Kakashi and Rin… I know it's really weird, but I thought it sounded interesting. And Moegi and Konohamaru were adopted by Asuma, lol, don't ask... Anyway... Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_The Real Target  
_

* * *

_(Konohagakure Country)_

Rin sobbed hysterically onto Iruka's shoulder, and though he would never do so if Ayame was there, he patted her on the back of her head and spoke comforting words. He still didn't know what had happened, and it didn't look as though he would be finding out soon.

Asuma had placed a hand on Rin's shoulder from behind, and they both awaited her calmness to return. It took, at least, an hour. She was really shaken up, but finally she started lifting herself from his shoulder while Asuma led her to a chair.

She opened her mouth to speak, but shook her head and closed it again. It was as if she had no words to describe what had happened, as if she didn't even know how to form words anymore. Her brown eyes were wet and red with tears, and Iruka was surprised she had been able to cry the entire hour.

"It's all right, Rin," Asuma said as they both stared at her and awaited a response. "No one's going to hurt you."

She shook her head, misery plaguing her face. "They weren't after me."

"Who are 'they?' Who were they after?" asked Iruka, relieved that she had finally spoken.

Rin bit her lip anxiously, and began crying again, though not nearly as much as she had for the last hour. Going over recent events in his mind, he remembered Rin had rushed in after the thunderstorm had begun to clear up, and had whispered something about Obito, over and over again. Asuma and he still hadn't figured out what was wrong with her. Finally her tears subsided again. "They—Dageki—took my son," she whispered.

Dageki had been here? Iruka saw Asuma grow tense and glance outside his own doorway. He raced out to check where Konohamaru and Moegi had been playing recently. Though they had only been adopted when found on his doorstep, he acted just as a father should to them.

When he returned to Iruka and Rin, he seemed lifeless, as if he had given up on surviving at all. "They're nowhere. And with Dageki . . . Well, no one can run and hide." The two happiest children in the world were gone, stolen, taken.

Rin bit back more tears. "They have all of our children now," she breathed. "Obito, Konohamaru and Moegi . . ."

Iruka suddenly remembered Naruto and Ino. "I have to go," he said quietly, and they didn't seem to hear him. "I have to go," he said a little more loudly, leaving before he could know whether they had listened or not.

If they stole Obito, the twelve-year-old son of Kakashi and Rin, and they took Moegi and Konohamaru, siblings that Asuma had adopted, then surely Dageki had passed Naruto and Ino first. He shouldn't have left them alone to see how Asuma and Rin were doing lately. He should have stayed.

After Ayame had left Jiraiya as a mistress, she had become a normal villager, and Iruka had discovered she was pregnant. Knowing she would never be able to raise a child on her own, Iruka had begun to stay around her more and more often. When the twins were born, he even began to love _Ayame_. And after the twin's seventh birthday, he had proposed to her, and they had been married in a week.

And now . . . the twins were probably gone.

He already felt a huge, empty gap in his heart. He raced down the village, angry that they had chosen a house so far on the outskirts of Konohagakure country. They had known something like this was going to happen sooner or later, but had pretended as if they were safe for a time.

Naruto and Ino were the world to Ayame—and also to Iruka. Even though they weren't his children, he couldn't lose them. If he did . . . he would feel lost.

Iruka burst through the door to his home, and bit back a gasp of surprise when he saw Naruto, Ino, and his wife Ayame eating soup together at the table. Maybe they had gotten lucky. Maybe Dageki had passed their house. Maybe that hiding place under the rug had become handy, after all.

"Dageki came by," he said when they looked at him and didn't speak. "Did they skip here?"

Ayame shook her head tearfully. "They came."

"Then . . ." Iruka paused in deep thought. Weren't Naruto and Ino supposed to be gone? He was overjoyed they were still with him, but . . . the news made no sense.

Naruto exclaimed, "Nope! We're still here because they think we're royalty or something . . . Do _you_ know why?"

Fortunately the twins didn't notice Ayame cringe. She shook her head at him, and he shrugged. "I have no idea, Naruto," he answered, obliging Ayame's silent need to keep their true father a secret.

"Come eat with us," Ino said. "It was my first time trying to cook."

"You did well," Ayame praised, a warm smile on her face.

Iruka nodded in agreement. "Yep! You must have been a quick learner, Ino. Smells great!"

Ino grinned, pleased with their reaction. "Thanks."

For the moment, he needed to be calm for his family. For the moment the twins didn't need to know what had occurred between Dageki, Asuma, and Rin. For the moment he pushed thoughts of the missing children away.

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

"I'm fine," Sakura promised for the umpteenth time, having lost count long ago. She sighed when Tsunade paid no heed to her promise. It was difficult having her own mother be the queen and the head of the medical unit. Besides, a mother as a doctor was not a sure deal—mothers tended to overestimate things and diagnose them incorrectly.

From the shadow of Gai, Lee exclaimed, "Sakura-chan is amazing! Without her bold move of jumping into the water, not knowing how to swim, we would not have been able to save her! If she says she is fine, I believe her completely."

Tsunade gave a tired smile. "All right, I guess she really is fine," she said, stopping her diagnosis quickly. "Are you sure they didn't hurt you though, Sakura?"

Biting back another sigh, Sakura nodded. "They didn't touch me too much at all really," she answered, leaving out the part where Konan kicked her hands and the part where they had shoved her onto a log above ice-cold water. Those were harmless things at the moment, and her mother didn't need to know. "I'm not the important thing," she said as an afterthought.

Tsunade almost rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything, Sakura cut her off: "Not right now anyway. They didn't capture me for ransom money. Their plan was to get Sasuke in the end, and they've probably thought up another plan. Dageki never stays still for long! They're always raiding some village, or up in the mountains to capture one of the legendary dragons. If they want Sasuke, they're going to take every chance they have to get him. Please. We have to warn him!"

"Dageki moves quickly, you say," Gai intervened, finally speaking for the first time. "If so, then a messenger would not make it in time to warn them."

Sakura shook her head immediately at his loss of hope. "We can still try."

"All right," Tsunade agreed. "I'll tell Jiraiya to send one of Kakashi's fastest men to warn Prince Sasuke."

Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thank you!"

Tsunade and Gai left to bring King Jiraiya the news, leaving Sakura alone with Rock Lee. Truthfully he annoyed the hell out of her, but . . . "Lee," she declared firmly, "I know you think how I jumped into the water without knowing how to swim was very brave. I also know you believe that without me doing that you couldn't have completed your mission. But really, without_ you_ I wouldn't have made it to the shore. Thank you so much for saving my life."

Knowing I wouldn't take an "it was nothing" for an answer, Lee nodded. "You are very welcome, Sakura-chan."

She smiled and stood up, prepared to go to bed after a long day's stress.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Lee suddenly asked. "Can I at least walk you back to your room?"

"Yes, thank you." She could afford to be nice to him after he had saved her life. It wasn't that hard . . . Besides, love between them was more plausible than love between her and Sasuke. Sasuke would never like her—even as a friend—yet she already liked Lee as a friend.

She pushed thoughts of that away as she walked. Sasuke could like her eventually, she had already promised herself. Friendship first. One step at a time.

_(Somewhere Outside Otogakure Country)_

It had been a day since they had given their spy the note and told him his instructions. Today would be the day they would finally find Uchiha Sasuke in their grasp—but still not until dawn. He would have to be patient. And Madara was a patient man.

He waited tirelessly for the two he had called to arrive. He knew even one third of their numbers sneaking into Otogakure Palace would be risky, so he chose the two who were most likely to succeed—Itachi and Kisame. Finally they were there, and Itachi knelt before him while Kisame stood, disinterested.

Uchiha Madara had never given an order for all to bow before him when he called them, but most did—except for the few who were not afraid of him or the few who were impolite. Kisame was probably one of both.

"You two are to aid in the capture of the eldest prince of Otogakure," he began darkly. "I will explain the plan in detail to you now."

If they felt surprise, they didn't show it. Itachi looked up with his cold, black eyes, and Kisame finally looked a little interested. "Sasuke, eh?" the man who resembled a shark said.

"Yes," Madara answered. "Tonight, in fact. Valuable information from our spy tells us that Sasuke has broken his right arm, and his left presents no challenge. Still, we don't want to take chances, or for there to be a fight. That could lead to getting caught by the castle guards. Which means you will have to go about this carefully. _You_ will not capture Sasuke. He should lead himself into a trap by dawn."

Understanding what he was implying, Itachi and Kisame nodded. "Who are we to capture," Itachi began, "that will force him to come on his own?"

Madara went on to explain.

After he was done, Itachi was about to leave until he turned back with something on his mind. "By the way," he began slowly, "we caught one of Konohagakure's knights on his way to Otogakure Palace. After we interrogated him, we discovered he was to warn Sasuke about our desire to capture him. Which brings us to my queston—what should we do with him?"

Madara stared mercilessly at Kisame and Itachi, who were awaiting instructions. "Kill him," he commanded simply.

_(Otogakure Palace)_

"Sasuke!" Tenten screamed as she raced down the halls, searching for him. "Sasuke!" She turned a sharp corner and ran into him headfirst. Feeling Sasuke catch her before she could fall, she began to breathe heavily over running for such a long period.

"What happened?" he demanded, his eyes showing fear for the first time in a long while.

Of course, she hadn't screamed his name like that in a long while. The last time was when Sai had threatened to kill her—when she was seven. He had only been joking, of course, but she hadn't understood. Sasuke had gotten angry, misunderstanding that Sai's threats were empty, and had almost killed him. Luckily the fight had been stopped before too much could happen.

"What happened?" he repeated angrily. "Is it Sai? Did he hurt you?"

She realized she hadn't answered him yet. She had been too busy calming herself down. "The . . . the gate," she breathed, creeping closer into his arms. "Sai opened it, and I saw . . . Dageki is here, Sasuke. Sai let two of its members in."

"What?" He didn't believe her. He didn't believe that a prince could turn into a traitor—even if that prince was Sai.

"It's true!" she exclaimed. "They're here for someone. Probably you."

She watched as he glanced down at his broken arm and grimaced. That was right . . . He wouldn't be able to defend himself . . . Not against Dageki members, the strongest of almost all time. Their guerilla force tactics were impossible to penetrate, and usually they could leave entire countries in ruin, just with ten members—though there were probably more than ten on the outskirts.

"The Sound Four," he declared abruptly, and he dragged her along toward the meeting place for them. It was where they were most of the day—arguing almost every minute, though sometimes reviewing battle strategies. Ever since Orochimaru had grouped his soldiers into teams, the success rate had been much higher, despite how the teams were mostly in disagreement at all times.

The Sound Four was the highest rank, ever since they had become the team to capture Shizune, and Tenten knew Sasuke was bringing her there because his left arm was _not_ as good as he claimed it was. He would do anything—even wound his own ego—to protect her, she knew.

Sasuke entered the chamber without so much as a knock, and instantly all eyes of the Sound Four were on him.

"Oh, so the little twerp has come to play, even when his useless, left arm is all he has," Tayuya remarked sarcastically. Then her mood turned sour. "Get out of here while you still can, you sorry little prince. You're not welcome.."

"Right," Sakon agreed. "Go play with your sword and horse. Plenty of practice _might_ make you a little more welcome."

Sasuke's onyx eyes glared. "This isn't a game," he told them boldly. "Two Dageki members have infiltrated the castle, and they're probably after either me or Tenten—"

"Not Sai?" commented the one named Kidoumaru from the back of the room. "As far as I know, he's a prince, too. Or are you only worried about your precious little sister?"

His face remained perfectly calm, though his grip on her tightened immensely. "Sai is the one to have let them _in_. Clearly he won't be in any danger."

"Ah, so the mouse tattles on the cat," Tayuya said smugly. "And then the poor, frightened mouse comes to the lion for help. Interesting."

Tenten didn't understand what made them think Sasuke was weaker than Sai. Maybe it was that Sai concentrated on both of his arms, rather than just one. Maybe it was because they believed he had more potential than Sasuke. Maybe they just resented how close Sasuke and she were to each other. Whatever the reason, it made Tenten a little scared, and she crept closer to Sasuke for protection.

Sakon stood up and approached carefully toward them, though slightly diagonally so he could be close to Tenten. "Say, Sasuke, did you come here for protection? Expect none from us."

The prince's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't expect to be protected by ones far lower than me," he answered sternly. "I _do_ expect that you protect your own princess though." His hands gently pushed me forward, and I felt fear freeze me the moment he let go. "She's in danger. Protect her, and don't you dare let her leave you," he ordered. His voice was hard against the stone wall.

Tenten flinched as Sakon placed a hand on her and pulled her roughly forward. "We'll take the girl. But still, Sasuke," he taunted, "you're not welcome here."

Jiroubou stood up while Kidoumaru took huge steps forward. Tayuya, though behind Sakon, glared menacingly at Sasuke. He knew he was outnumbered, and he knew he couldn't stay here with Tenten. She saw it in his eyes.

"No, Sasuke, don't leave me here," she whispered, afraid of being left alone with the Sound Four. "Please."

"We'll protect her," Tayuya promised. "You, on the other hand, should leave if you know what's good for you."

Sasuke gave one last glare and left the room afterwards, ignoring the cry of helplessness that echoed in his ears. Tenten shook her head wildly at him, even after he was gone. Sinking to her knees, she crept into a corner and stayed as still as possible, ignoring the gazes the Sound Four were giving her. Tenten would have done anything to have learned how to fight, but Orochimaru had forbidden it. All she knew to do was how to heal, and she understood it could be very handy when alone with the Sound Four.

"So," Sakon began, staring at her, a smirk on his face. "Sasuke thought it would be safe to leave you alone and helpless with us?"

She didn't answer, and he strolled forward to tuck a strand of her bangs behind her ear. Tenten refused to look at him, to let him know that he had scared her, to let him see that fear deep within her heart.

He seemed to see it anyway. "There's no reason to be afraid."

Yes, there was. Sasuke was all alone, defenseless, against two Dageki members. They were probably there to kidnap him. She needed to go be with him, at least, to make sure they wouldn't kill him. She stood up and moved toward the doorway, away from Sakon.

Tayuya grabbed her by the hair. "Sasuke asked us not to let you leave if I remembered correctly," she whispered tauntingly.

"Besides," Sakon added, his voice now cajoling, "we wouldn't want our dear princess to be captured by such ruthless _men_. You're a woman, after all. It would be dangerous."

It was dangerous enough to be here with them.

"Stop agreeing with everything I say, you ass!" Tayuya yelled at Sakon. "It's as if you think we're _friends_. Idiot . . ."

Tenten lunged for the opportunity and sank her fingernail underneath Tayuya's own nail. She screamed in pain and glanced at her nail before noticing that Tenten was escaping. Sakon had managed to get his arm grabbing her by the neck, but Tenten had learned a way to overcome that, too. She turned her head to the side so that she could still breathe and elbowed him in the ribs. His hold on her weakened, and she turned around and kneed him in the most painful spot she had time for. Then she burst out the door, running away from the team that were probably just as bad as any Dageki member.

Thankful to Sasuke for teaching her those tricks, Tenten sighed in relief that they had actually worked. He had been worried about her—as all older brothers should be—and told her where exactly to kick boys, and how exactly to get out of a sticky position. Every tactic she had used to get away from the Sound Four, she had learned from Sasuke. And now he was in danger. She had to make sure he was safe!

Suddenly a man with black hair and onyx eyes approached her, accompanied by a man with almost shark-like skin. The shorter one resembled Sasuke so much that Tenten was sure they were related. But Sasuke was Orochimaru's son . . . And she had never seen this man before, so how could they be related? She didn't have time to ponder her questions for she realized at once they were Dageki members.

"Come with us," the dark-haired one said. Out of the two of them, he seemed the more isolated, the more polite, the less humorous.

Tenten didn't move. So they had really been after _her_ the entire time. She felt so stupid.

The man who laughingly resembled a shark reached for the sword strapped on his back and brought it in a downward arc toward her. Her scream echoed against the walls as she closed her eyes, terrified that they had killed her, but a moment passed and left her feeling fine. Warily she opened her eyes to see the wrapped sword centimeters next to her skin. She wanted to take a step sideways, but her feet were numb and cold.

"Kisame, that was hardly necessary," said the politer one as he drew closer to Tenten.

The one with the sword laughed but said nothing to his partner. Instead, his eyes flickered to Tenten. "Listen, girl—Tenten, right?"

Paralyzed by terror, she nodded.

"One wrong move," he continued, "and we go after Sasuke himself. You don't want us to hurt him, do you?"

She flinched at the threat in his tone. Sasuke was helpless; he would never be able to fight back.

"Tenten," said the man with extreme resemblance to Sasuke, "you will come with us, or Sasuke will be in danger. We won't harm you for now as long as you do what we say."

She had no choice but to obey the strangers.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N****: Um, I finally updated? This took FOREVER, so sorry. I've been kinda dormant on my E-mail and this site. I am experiencing a lack of enthusiasm for Naruto at the moment, and hopefully it'll be over soon. Anyway, enjoy! The next chapter will hopefully be up soon.

* * *

**Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to Xshadowolf

_No One's Child  
_

* * *

_(Otogakure Palace)_

Sasuke was sitting in his room, staring at the walls. Boredom was irritating him to no end, as he awaited Dageki's two members to attempt capture. He had even gone as far as to unwrap his broken arm and rid himself of the sling. Without his right hand, he was doomed as a swordsman, and he was sure to be able to ignore any pain. Pain was only a feeling, after all.

Suddenly he heard Tenten's scream penetrate the long hallways of Otogakure, and he found himself running toward the sound, though he knew he was too far away from her to make it in time. Had the Dageki members killed her? Had the Sound Four scared her? Was she captured? The questions raced through his mind as he desperately searched for her.

When he reached the place where he had heard Tenten scream, he found no one, nothing. He stood there for a moment in silence, letting his thoughts drift through his head. Tenten was gone? The Sound Four had been entrusted to protect her and make sure she couldn't get away and make herself vulnerable. Had they accidentally let her go? He had taught her all the tricks to get away from a kidnapper. Sure she had used those tactics to get away from their grasp, Sasuke wondered why she hadn't tried to get away from Dageki. Maybe . . . they had threatened her with his life. She would do anything to keep him safe, he knew, just as he would do anything for her.

Cursing himself as he ran down the hallways, Sasuke hoped he wasn't too late to save her. He reached the outdoors and raced toward the gate, unable to see his sister anywhere close by. About to charge after wherever Dageki had taken Tenten, he was suddenly stopped when somebody got in his way. Sai.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded vehemently.

Sai's falsely pleasant eyes scanned Sasuke's right arm, surprised that it was out of its sling. But he said nothing about it. "Before you race off to save Tenten and accidentally kill her in the process," he explained swiftly, holding an outstretched hand forward, "maybe you should read this."

It was a note, and Sasuke took it instantly.

_**We have your sister. Come to the point where the river crosses the outskirts of your country before dawn. Come alone. Leave all of your weapons behind, and don't come to fight. Otherwise, Tenten will be dead.**_

Sasuke didn't have time to think up a strategy to disobey the note and still save Tenten, so hastily he handed his sword and any other weapon he was carrying to Sai, told him to watch them over, and ran out the castle gates, praying that dawn would not arrive too quickly.

* * *

Dawn had arrived, and he wasn't a moment too early or late. As he thought back to his actions, he wanted to hit himself in the head for thinking unclearly and leaving his weapons behind. But Sasuke remained calm. No way to turn back now. Even if he did bring his weapons, his arm still pained him each time it moved.

"You came." The voice was distinctly familiar, as if he had heard it a million times before. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it. Who was that voice? Who?

Warily Sasuke turned around to see a fairly tall man—though not nearly as tall as the one beside him—staring at him impassively with a blank yet somehow ruthless look in his eye. Looking closer, Sasuke gasped at what he saw. Black hair, the bangs partly covering the onyx, deep eyes. His—all his.

Just the stature and the wrinkles near his eyes could deter the reflection of himself that he was seeing. "Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, half-fearfully, half-brave. He noticed Tenten next, bound, held like a sac on the other man's shoulder. She wasn't fighting at all, even though she had retained consciousness.

"We are Dageki," the cold one answered while the other grinned cheerfully. "You should already know that. Why else would you be here?"

Sasuke breathed in a deep gulp of air. "You want ransom money? I'll give it to you. You want me? That's fine, too. Just let my sister go."

The "sharkish" man laughed heartily, though the mirth was somehow cruel. "How touching. The scared little boy actually wants to fight back."

The other one ignored his partner. "Let us introduce ourselves first," he started with a false sense of politeness. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, and my partner is Hoshikage Kisame. As you should know by now, we are both members of Dageki. We were ordered to kill Princess Tenten if you do not succumb to our rules."

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone full of hopelessness. There was nothing left to do. He had promised himself never to allow harm to come to Tenten, and he never planned to go back on his word.

Tenten began to struggle against the rope binding her arms and legs together and against Kisame's muscled arm. "Sasuke, no! Don't do this! Run away—" Kisame hit her sharply on the head before she could continue. Her eyes drooped to a shut after she groaned in pain.

Sasuke kept his impulse to explode in an attacking rage down to a tiny tint of anger in his voice. "What do you want?" he demanded again.

Itachi took a step forward and held out a hand. "Come here," he stated simply.

If he got closer, maybe there would be a higher chance to save Tenten. So he approached the strange look-alike to himself, but didn't take his hand.

"Turn around . . . Quickly now."

Sasuke let out a breath and turned his back to the Dageki members.

A sharp prick.

And then everything went black.

* * *

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

"What?" Sakura exclaimed. "And you only let me know _now_?"

Tsunade attempted to calm her by patting her on the head, and Jiraiya turned his back to her, as if to ward off regret. "Apparently," the King said, "our horseman did not make it there in time. He was ambushed and killed. We only found his body a day or two ago."

"What about Sasuke?" She was in no mood to here excuses. "He was captured a _week _ago, and I don't find out until today? We were supposed to be married!"

"Sakura," Tsunade intervened. "Orochimaru did not send notice until last night when you were asleep."

She froze in her tracks. The news shocked her. "I . . . but . . ."

Jiraiya finally turned around to face her. "Dageki doesn't usually harm its prisoners unless they try to escape—"

"Just as Sasuke would," she countered irritably.

"—so we shouldn't be worried about him right now. What we _should _be worried about is continuing to form an alliance with Otogakure. We don't want another war."

She frowned and folded her arms. "You mean I'm supposed to marry someone else now? Like who? I can't marry another Princess, so who else is there?"

"Prince Sai."

Again, she froze. Sai? That rude, _creepy _jerk that couldn't help but insult Sasuke when he knew full well she liked him? Well, at least, he was _almost _as handsome as Sasuke, and he actually seemed to _like _her, but . . . The world would explode if she ever pretended to like _him_. "No." Her voice was firm.

"Sakura, we want you to have a choice, but would you really create a war, just to avoid some childish problem?" Tsunade cut in.

She sighed and looked down. "Fine!" Then she stalked out of the room. Back to the garden; she needed to process all of her thoughts.

Dageki had caught Sasuke. And Orochimaru didn't care. And since he was gone, she had to marry that horrible other Prince that she hated so much. There had to be a way to stop this, to get Sasuke back. "I can't believe they're not going to even try a rescue attempt. Not Konohagakure _or _Otogakure," she muttered to no one in particular.

If anyone could go up against Dageki, it was Otogakure. The finest swordsmen resided there—one of the reasons, Konohagakure was afraid of a war. Because when it came down to it, Otogakure simply exceeded Konohagakure in skill. Sasuke could only be saved by someone from Otogakure.

She sighed . . . It was common knowledge to her that nobody from Otogakure would ever risk his life for the cold-hearted Sasuke. So . . .

A plan in the makings, Sakura stood up and rushed to her room. She put on a cloak that her mother had given her for her birthday once. Then she raced back out to the garden and smeared mud all throughout her hair. The hood shadowed all the rest.

Nobody would know it was her, the Princess.

Before she left, she went to the library and searched through the records on Otogakure. It didn't take her long to find what she needed. The teams—she quickly scanned the index for the lowest-ranked team, and then looked at each of its members. It appeared they had lost their high status when they fought with other teams over insignificant things, to the death. None of their members had died, but they were responsible for many other deaths.

Already they scared her, but she knew they were her only option. Sakura chose what appeared to be their strongest member, stole the book, and then left the library.

She made her way to the stables, grabbed a horse, and then she was gone. Out the gate, and across the field to Otogakure. If no one else would rescue Sasuke, she would.

* * *

_(With Dageki)_

When Sasuke woke up, he found himself in a deep, square hole in the ground. Above him, were steel bars, blocking the only exit of the hole. It was a tight space, making him feel a bit claustrophobic. But then he saw Tenten, huddled up in one corner of the make-shift prison. She was shivering with fright—at the sight, all discomfort vanished.

"You all right?" he asked.

She nodded once. "You . . . you should have run, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"And let them kill you?" he shot back.

He regretted it at once, for she squirmed and huddled in the corner more tightly.

"Hey, it's okay," he said. "I'll find a way to get us out of here sooner or later."

She ignored his empty words. "I-I think I understand how it works around here, Sasuke-kun. I've been listening to them for a while. They . . ." She paused. "We're either chosen by one of the members, or sold to a place across the mountains. Dageki makes trips there every year, and about a week before each year is when they start capturing new people. Usually the ratio of who's sold to who's kept is about two to three, but really it depends on Dageki's decisions and the fitness of the prisoners. So of the five people they've captured, two of us will be sold, and three of us will be chosen."

He nodded. "Okay, that makes sense."

"Sasuke, the chance that we'll be split up is high," she said softly. "So . . . just in case you fall asleep again, or I do, I wanted to say—"

"Don't talk like that. I'll get us out before that happens."

She bit her lip. "But just in case—"

"I don't want to hear it. We'll get out before we're separated, I promise you."

A hurt expression grew on her face, and Sasuke tried to ignore it. "Okay," she said in defeat.

"Listen, Tenten, we'll _both _be chosen if it does come to that. Have you seen the others? They're just kids—"

"You don't understand!" she shouted in return. "I don't _want _to be chosen! Because then . . . Because _then_ I won't be responsible for splitting those 'kids' up! God, Sasuke, do you ever think about anyone but yourself?"

He didn't reply. His sister had never yelled like that at him before.

"If I get sold to whoever's across the mountains," she continued, "I'll be _happy_ because then I'll know that someone's child has a chance to be saved. Because I know full well that _my _father won't care one way or another, whereas some other parents actually do. So don't say that you wish I'm chosen because I don't _want _to be."

Sasuke was about to argue, but was interrupted by someone opening the barred entrance to the hole. "Sasuke Uchiha, Madara-sama would like to see you."

He didn't respond at first. Sasuke _Uchiha_. What was that supposed to mean? But then, he was forced out, pulled toward their leader, and forced onto his knees in front of him.

Nonetheless, he still glared up at this Madara-sama, whose face was hidden by a mask. "Why won't you release my sister?"

The man sneered—it was evident in his voice. "I see you are a hurried man, so I'll get straight to the point. First, Princess Tenten is just another one of our slaves. Perhaps, we'll use her for ransom money, but considering her father, maybe not."

His glare strengthened. "Why don't you let her go and use _me _for ransom? I'm sure I'll get more of a response from Otogakure—"

"Ah, see that's where you're wrong. Orochimaru will not pay to have you kept alive. The message we just went him will forbid him to do that because Shizune will not hesitate to confirm the truth in it. She fears for her own, pitiful life. That brings me to my second point. Orochimaru is not your father. Shizune is not your mother."

Sasuke gasped.

"And Tenten is not your sister."

_Not possible._

"You are Sasuke Uchiha. And your parents are dead."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I went back and read my chapters, and **_**man **_**I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry for all those horrible grammar mistakes—I can't believe I switched from first person to third all the time like a clumsy idiot. Yeah . . . I didn't edit much back then (I was really an idiot, lol), so I'll go back and fix that later. Sorry if the same mistakes are in this. I posted it in a bit of a rush, so . . . Anyone who sees anything, don't hesitate to tell me. It really helps. Thanks. ^^**

**And also, I posted this one fast because I'm worried if I don't I won't be able to post it ever since I'm so lazy, lol. So enjoy! And thank you for reviews!

* * *

**Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to xshadowolf

_Alliance of Enemies_

_

* * *

(Otogakure Palace)_

The security there was tight. Sakura had pretended to be a messenger from Konohagakure that had very important news for Orochimaru. Luckily they didn't ask her too many questions, and she had used the whole time on her trip there to come up with suitable lies.

She felt disoriented and confused, walking down the halls of Otogakure. Truthfully she had never traveled past the borders from her own palace, unless it was to a party hosted here. Even then, she had been watched closely by the royal guard, and had only been in the great hall.

She had no idea whatsoever where Orochimaru's army resided.

Until she came across one of the people she had seen in the book—the woman. "Excuse me," she said politely, "but could you show me where I can find _them_?" She pointed at the team and the member she wanted to speak with in the book she had. "I have a message for one of them."

Then the woman glared, and Sakura didn't know why. "I'm _on _that team," she said, flipping back her shocking, red hair. "Tell me the message."

"I apologize, but I can't tell you. My business lies with this one." She pointed to the picture in the book once again.

The woman let out a sigh of frustration. "Fine. Follow me."

As they walked, Sakura took a moment to gaze at the designing of the castle. It was a dark place, lit by strategic placing of candles and torches. The walls were a dark form of mahogany, carved with black lines. Maybe if it was _her _homeland, she would have liked it, but . . . Considering the fact that she had hardly been here, the darkness and pattern of the walls scared her.

"So you're from Konohagakure Palace?"

Startled, Sakura broke out of her thoughts, and watched the woman leading her more closely. "Y-yes. Yes, I am."

"I see. What message would you have for the greatest dumb-ass in the world?"

"Well," Sakura began, surprised at the woman's rudeness, "it's strictly confidential, so I can't say . . . But it _is_ urgent and important," she added as an afterthought.

"Right, whatever. Well, he's in there—alone, I think. And he's really stupid, so make sure to use small words to describe things to him."

Sakura wasn't sure if the woman was joking or actually serious. Either way, she nodded her thanks and strolled right into the room the woman had pointed to. The door shut behind her, and she jumped nervously. Then regaining her composure, Sakura walked right up to the only man inside.

"Are you Suigetsu Hozuki?" she asked nervously.

* * *

_(In the Country)_

"You're a liar," Sasuke said. "My father is Oro—"

"Is dead." Madara stood up, walking slowly over to Sasuke, and stopped a good three feet away. "I see it'll take some convincing for a brat like you."

"I'm the eldest Prince of Otogakure, damn it!" he shouted back, crazed. "How could I _not _be?"

Madara chuckled, at first, but then let out a laugh of pure hatred, sending Sasuke into a state of complete silence. "You saw the one who kidnapped Tenten, didn't you? Itachi Uchiha. How do you explain _that_?"

Sasuke couldn't find his voice. This whole thing—it was impossible. _Impossible_! His father was Orochimaru. He _had _to be his son because if he wasn't, then what would happen to Tenten? Responsibility _dictated _that he was Tenten's older brother. It couldn't be any other way!

Then who was . . .

. . . that _man_, that man who looked exactly like him?

"You're Itachi Uchiha's younger brother."

"If so," Sasuke started in a cold, angry voice, "then who the hell are my parents?"

"I'm glad to see that you're _partially _accepting the truth. Your parents are—_were_—nobodies. That makes you a nobody, too, doesn't it?"

No.

"Itachi killed your parents and left you alive. Do you remember? It was around the time Shizune escaped for a time. She found you. You were only two years old and dying, and Shizune nursed you back to health. Then one night, her long due baby was born. Sai, actually. And with a second child, she could no longer support you." Madara folded his arms smugly.

"Then," he continued, "she returned to Otogakure and claimed both of you were her sons. The stupid woman. She could have escaped back to her homeland, but because of someone who wasn't even her own son, she went right back into the arms of Otogakure."

"And how do _you _know all of this?"

"Because _I _am the reason you were kept alive for two years, the reason Itachi didn't kill you. That woman came and took you away. You're Itachi's brother, so you should know your power. Your destiny was to become one of us, one of Dageki—"

"And what _is _Dageki?" Sasuke demanded.

"A check. We disagree with politics and several things about your world. Otogakure has bathed in evil for far too long, and it's time we tried to change things—"

He felt the anger boil through his blood. "You're doing it the wrong way!" he shouted. "You can't force goodness on people with more evil, it doesn't _work _that way!"

"I suppose it is a matter of opinions." Madara paused, and Sasuke suddenly felt his two, sharp, glaring eyes on him. It was unnerving. "You have two choices," the man continued. "You either join Dageki and complete your combat training, or you remain as a regular slave like all the rest of the children we've captured. Forever."

Sasuke glared at the ground, unable to even glance at the face that looked down at him with such a tremendous aura, an endless supply of _power_. "I'll never join the likes of you."

"Very well. Take him away."

Before he knew it, Sasuke was yanked away. It was nightfall. The stars were hidden by a deep set of clouds and grayness. His captors threw him back into the deep hole with Tenten. Disheartened, he leaned away from her, shrinking into one of the corners.

Tenten touched him on the shoulder gently. "Sasuke-kun—"

"Don't call me that," he snapped.

She shrank back into the opposite corner in response and mumbled an apology. They sat in silence for a few minutes, maybe longer, until Tenten finally spoke again. "Did they hurt you?"

"No."

"Not even . . . here?" She place a hand on her heart.

It seemed as though she was so far away. "No," he repeated coldly again. They couldn't hurt him there. He wouldn't _ever _be hurt in his heart. It wasn't possible.

But something on his face seemed to alert Tenten that he was lying. "Sasuke-kun, can you hold my hand?"

He didn't move. "Are you scared?" he asked. She could deal with fear without his help.

"No, I'm not scared anymore." Her voice held no trace of a lie. "I just feel . . . like I'm losing you."

"Oh." Sasuke didn't know what else to say. He held out his hand, and she took it.

_

* * *

(Otogakure Palace)_

"Are you Suigetsu Hozuki?"

Seated in a chair beside a small, round table, the man didn't answer at first. He merely stared up at her with curious, taunting eyes and grinned in a strange way. Well, at least he actually appeared _pleasant_, one of the only pleasant people she had seen around this place.

Sakura sat down in a seat across from him. "May I call you Suigetsu then?"

"Sure. Who the hell are you?"

She didn't answer at first, trying to decide how to handle the situation. Then finally she decided lying would do no good if she wanted his help. She pulled of her hood that had disguised her for the most part. "I am Princess Sakura Haruno, daughter of the King Jiraiya and Queen Tsunade of Konogakure Palace. I have come to request your assistance."

He seemed amused at her politeness, for his grin grew wider. "Assistance for what?"

"As you well know, Prince Sasuke has been captured by the dangerous group known as Dageki last week. I myself only discovered it yesterday, the day of our wedding." Sakura watched him warily. "My parents will do nothing, and neither does Otogakure seem to be doing anything. So I have acted on my own."

"And you come here for protection?"

Her voice didn't falter. "No. I said assistance. I don't need protection."

"Okay . . ." Suigetsu said vaguely. "I don't know if you people over there know about this but . . . Sasuke's not our Prince anymore. Apparently you're s'pose to marry Sai now, so I don't know what the big deal is."

She gasped, surprised. "You mean he's been disinherited?"

"No. Orochimaru never was his father, so he never _was _'inherited,' or whatever you call it . . ."

Confused, Sakura remained silent for a few seconds. Then she continued. "Well, knowing that he is still a citizen of Otogakure, he should not be left with such a violent group of criminals. Many of the children from my kingdom have also been kidnapped, and nobody is doing anything. From what I know, Lord Orochimaru's men act on their own at times, so I came here for help."

"So you came to the worst team? You can't get much farther down on the totem pole than I am."

"Exactly. That means nobody will recognize you, right?"

"Yeah . . . So what's your plan?" Suigetsu still seemed amused at her. Apparently he didn't believe her, didn't believe she could do _anything _without protection.

He'd have to be taught a lesson sooner or later. "I want to infiltrate Dageki and act as a spy both for Konohagakure and Otogakure. I'm a Princess, however, so I'm easily recognizable. Therefore, coming in as a duo, it'd be easier to distract them from who I am. Besides, extra help would be extremely appreciated in the long run whether I need it or not."

This time, Suigetsu actually laughed. "So you want _me _to go along with your little plan and risk my life as a spy? Huh, that's very interesting. So what's in it for me?"

She fumbled around in her pockets before retrieving what little money she had carried around with her. "I know it's not much at the moment, but if you do help and it works, I will convince Konohagakure to reward you greatly later."

He made no move to take the coins she had offered. "Sorry, but I'm not really a money person, PrincessSakura—"

"You may call me simply Sakura—"

"Whatever, like I said, I'm not into money, _Princess_, so your coins don't really interest me."

Sakura took a breath. Of course. Orochimaru's men always seemed to turn out weird. "Well, what _does _interest you then?"

"You."

She swallowed. "Excuse me?"

"No, not like that." Suigetsu chuckled. "I meant the fact that you took all this trouble to spy on a dangerous group like Dageki, and you're a _woman_. You do realize they only accept the best? Maybe they'd take me, but you . . . Especially since you're a Princess, they'd never let you in."

Again, he was underestimating her. "You really think so?" she said in a somewhat mocking, girly tone.

"Yeah, well, I guess I could help you if you want, but don't come crying to me when they kill you for even trying . . . There's one condition though—nah, actually two."

"And? I'm sure I could fulfill them both." She waited patiently.

"One, when this is all over, I want to go to Konohagakure and live there."

She nodded. "I can make that possible. The other condition?"

Suigetsu didn't speak at first. He sat, eyeing her with an odd look, before a smirk spread across his face. "I don't think I'll tell you yet."

Sakura frowned. "Well, if it's not within my power, I won't be able to—"

"Oh, don't worry. It's in your power all right. You'd do anything for Sasuke, right?"

"Yes," she answered warily but firmly.

"Risk everything?"

"Yes."

He smirked even wider. "Yeah, I don't think there'll be a problem with that second condition then. I'll tell you what it is later."

"Very well. Thank you very much." Sakura sighed in relief. "Then I just have one last thing to ask of you."

Suigetsu stood. "Hmm?"

"Do you have an extra sword here somewhere?"

* * *

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

"Where is Sakura?" Tsunade demanded. Kakashi's men were supposed to guard the gate, and she had still gotten through, some way or another!

Kakashi shrugged. "None of my men have anything to report about Princess Sakura Haruno passing through. I'm sorry."

Tsunade folded her arms. "Are you _positive_?"

"Well, there is something . . ." He began cautiously.

"Yes?"

He turned his back to her and took a few steps away. "There was this woman who looked as if she was trying to hide identity. Her eyes were green, like the Princess's, but . . . There really is no proof it was her. It could have been anyone."

"All right, get as many details as possible about that person written down. Then send a messenger to Otogakure palace to ask if that woman has passed through there. Also keep an eye out for anyone suspicious like her walking within the borders of the country. If we can find her, we can confirm who she is—"

"I know where Princess Sakura is," a voice came from behind.

Both Tsunade and Kakashi turned in shock to see who it was. Shikamaru Nara. His eyes were on both of them without guilt—only with knowledge.

"She went to save Sasuke. The chance that she is that suspicious woman your men saw is very high, General Hatake. And I believe she did pass through Otogakure Palace. To get help."

Frustrated, Tsunade groaned and said, "What makes you think that?"

"She has talent," Shikamaru said. "She's very smart, and very good with a sword. And she knows it. She's going to try to save Sasuke on her own since no one else will."

"Why do you think so?" Tsunade repeated.

"Because I know how she thinks."

He was the smartest man they had. And their only chance. Tsunade reluctantly nodded, and went to tell her husband Jiraiya of the news.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow, I read this other cool story (can't remember what it was… I always do that :-/), and it totally inspired me… I could not stop writing this. Hehe, hehe! Anyway, I realized after writing it that some people might see it a bit differently than I did. So just to warn you, this story is **_**PURE SASUSAKU**_**. Don't worry, I see love when it's only friendship, too, so I'm just making sure you understand that I had no intention of making this a SuiSaku, and will have no intention in the future either. 'Kay? 'Kay. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy! **

**

* * *

**Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to xshadowolf

_The Journey's Beginning

* * *

_

Sakura eyed the clouds in the sky. They were hanging low, which probably meant a storm was moving. A big one—towards Konohagakure. Luckily the two of them would miss it. Her hand rested on the hilt of the sword, actually scimitar, Suigetsu had gotten for her—or probably stolen. She didn't care though. He didn't plan on going back to Otogakure anyway, it seemed, since that was one of his conditions.

Which reminded her. "Are you sure you don't want me to know your second condition?" Sakura turned to the man standing right behind her. "If I don't know it, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to perform it."

"It's so quick and simple, Princess Sakura. You worry too much. There's seriously no reason you wouldn't be able to do it unless your head blows up or somethin'."

She sighed. "Whatever." Her eyes scouted the distance again. "How do you suppose we go about finding them?"

"All we have to do is try to cross over to the deep mountains in the West [??]. _They'll _find _us_."

"That's . . . comforting," she said sarcastically. "Did we take enough food for that trek?"

"Sure." He stepped up next to her. The mountains were miles and miles away, but he sounded confidant enough. "Besides, when Dageki spots us, they'll have food. They probably live better than your father and mother themselves."

Sakura frowned. Her parents were probably already frantically searching for any signs of her by now. They must have been so worried the night she left—they probably still were.

Suigetsu started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Your face. I bet you're going into shock, you look so stupid . . . I'm just joking!" he exclaimed after she threw him a dark look.

Sakura decided to ignore him. "Okay. So should we get moving? The sun's setting, so . . ."

"Hold on, before that," he said. "Do you honestly think that they won't recognize you? Who the hell has pink hair anyway? They'll guess on the spot who you are."

She had completely forgot! "Oh, um . . . I was thinking of just . . ." What _had _she been thinking? "Maybe I could make sure it's muddy enough everyday so no one could tell?"

He shook his head. "Won't work."

"Any suggestions then?" Sakura folded her arms.

"Well, your eyes are already enough of a problem. Huge and green and all . . . With the added distinction of your hair . . ." He paused, as if knowing what he was about to say would put him on her revenge list forever. "The only way for this to work is for you to cut it off."

Silence.

Then— "WHAT?" She shook her head, right to left, in a big sweeping motion. "You mean _all _of it? No! Just _no_! For Heaven's sake, I am _not _going there bald. Nice try."

"I'm serious." He coughed, as if covering up a laugh. "I even brought a knife just for it."

She glared but said nothing.

"So? No matter what happens, you'll still look like a girl. Trust me on that." His eyes examined her body thoroughly, making Sakura want to cover herself up. So she had asked the assistance of the most stupid, annoying, perverted man in the entire world. Maybe her first insights were right—maybe she _should _have gone with that really tall guy or maybe chosen a completely different team.

Then again, Suigetsu _was _smart; she could give him credit for that much. Maybe not the smartest apple in the bunch, but definitely clever enough to notice the things she missed. They would make a good team—hopefully.

Besides, his team wasn't exactly the _worst _team. They had actually been fighting for top team several years back. But their failure to capture Shizune had cost them their rank—ten years ago they had been famous for being the most humiliated team in Otogakure, and now they were practically nonexistent to King Orochimaru and everyone else.

She couldn't have gone with a better team—an unknown, _good _one.

"Well, Princess? You going to let me get most of it off or what?"

She sighed. "How short?"

"Really short. I won't cut it all off, but it has to be to an extreme length that _no _Princess would go to."

"Fine." She sat down on a rock, her back to him. He began to cut freely. "And don't call me Princess," she added as a final attempt to change his mind.

"Sure thing, Princess."

* * *

The first day of camp was the worst. He kept staring—and staring—and staring. Sakura met his gaze once, to show she knew what he was doing, but he didn't seem to care. His eyes were fixed. So she did the only mature thing she could think of; she ignored it, pretended she didn't notice.

But something about his stare was strangely uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was _looking _at her, it was that he was scrutinizing her. His shadowed gaze caused by the fire in the dark was unnatural as well. And her short hair wasn't helping her comfort either.

Sakura shifted a log in the fire since it seemed to be dying out. It didn't matter because she'd only allow the coals to keep them warm when they slept, but something about the flames felt safer. Maybe she saw further away with the added light, or maybe she didn't. Either way, Dageki _would _find them, and when they did, their survival depended entirely on chance.

What if Dageki didn't listen to them first? What if the group simply slit their throats before they even knew what happened? From what she had seen, Dageki wasn't very merciful, despite their caution.

She shivered involuntarily, the action not going unnoticed by Suigetsu, who still stared at her as if his life depended on it. With her thoughts left on nothing but fear, she felt his gaze on her even more than usual. It was annoying. It felt as though he was reading her every thought and feeling her every emotion. And she had to pretend not to notice—hell, that wasn't working.

"What?" Exasperated, she surrendered his game and set her own threatening gaze on him.

"What about what?" he retorted.

"What about _you_ _staring _at me as though I'm some . . . some mermaid that just leaped out of the sea?"

"_Oh_, that," he said, but continued to stare, despite Sakura's warning.

She glared harder back at him. "You think this is funny? That it's a game?" She let out a laugh of frustration. "Dageki could kill us in no more than an hour, and you think it's amusing to _annoy_ me like a two-year-old would?"

He straightened from his previous position—head resting in his hands and cocked to the side, back hunched over. "There's no reason not to enjoy our last hour, hmm?"

"Just . . . just . . ." Unprepared with a plausible come-back, she let out a groan. "Don't you have some friends back home to think about, or some stupid plan to come up with so we can join Dag—"

"Thought we already came up with one."

Her patience almost snapped. But somehow it survived. "I'm serious, Suigetsu," she warned, surprising both of them with her control over herself. "Stop staring."

Then he grinned widely because obviously the remark was what he wanted to hear. "What, am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes!" She didn't care about the obvious implications. Any girl would feel uncomfortable with _any _man staring at her. "Find something else to do unless you want to say something important."

"Very well, Princess Sakura. I will see to it that I do not bother you again, particularly when there is nothing urgent to discuss," he mocked.

She glared.

And finally—he looked away, into the fire. Satisfied, Sakura returned to leafing through her bag and checked their supplies for the fifth time because she seriously didn't think they would last all they way to the mountain. Unless Suigetsu had some trick up his sleeve.

"Well, actually . . ."

Sakura's attention flipped back to him, who glanced at her warily every few seconds. "Yes?"

"Well, actually I was wondering something about you." He paused to put a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "You say you know how to handle a sword, but . . . I've never actually seen you do it. And you really don't want the first time fighting someone seen by Dageki, do you?"

She raised her eyebrows curiously. "And?"

"I was wondering . . . you want to spar?"

The question took her completely by surprise. Fight him? _Fight _him? In the dark, by the fire, when Dageki could creep up their necks any second? A feeble "what?" escaped her mouth, and was lost in the wind.

"Well?" he asked. His hand already reached for the rather large sword by his side. Sakura watched his action in fear—not because she was afraid of him but because she was afraid of Dageki. What if they didn't accept her? What if their standards were higher than she thought they were? Suigetsu misinterpreted her fear. "I promise I'll go easy on you," he said.

Her mind returned to the present, and she shook the doubt away. "Uh, sure, I'll spar with you."

Eagerly Suigetsu reached for his sword.

"But _not_," she interrupted, "with actual weapons."

"Aw," he whined childishly. "You wanna do it the boring way? With stupid twigs?"

"Twigs? Sticks are a bit larger than twigs, I think."

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Not in my point of view. A stick can't do anything against me. Especially with someone like you using it, Princess."

She smiled. "We'll see."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were eyeing each other carefully, waiting for the other to make a move. A whole minute passed, and neither had struck. Sakura spent the time watching his reactions to her movements, trying to discover his strategy. The circling continued. Sakura was simply waiting for him to make a move, and she was sure he was waiting for _her_. This was getting nowhere.

Suddenly Suigetsu let out a chuckle almost causing Sakura to jump. "What?" she said, still scrutinizing his movements.

"Well, you're not a complete novice, I'll give you that," he said. "You can always tell who is 'cause they just charge in right when it starts. At least, you're not stupid, and Dageki gives points for that."

Refraining from glaring at him, she continued to watch. His thighs shifted, and Sakura prepared herself for his attack. At the last moment, he feinted a blow, but she was ready—no one could fake a direction without giving some sign, and she had seen it clearly. Suigetsu was an easy person to read.

His moves flowed into one another. It was as if it was easy for him, landing blow after blow so fluently. He wasn't fighting her with his best—but neither was she. She'd have to pick it up a notch because she really wanted to know who was the better swordsman.

She blocked his moves, all just by eyeing his muscles and seeing which way they went.

Suddenly Suigetsu stopped, and lowered his stick. "You're just going to block all day?" His tone was annoyed.

"I'm analyzing your moves," she shot back.

"That's great, Princess, but Dageki _doesn't _give you points for that."

Her emerald eyes glared. "Fine. I'll attack you if you really want."

"Okay. Let's start again." A smirk spread across his face.

They had to stop early. One, it was far too dark to even see a foot ahead without the light of the fire. Two, Sakura wasn't paying attention—she was too nervous about Dageki springing up their necks. And three, Suigetsu wasn't very happy about her blocking more than striking.

She didn't know what the big deal was anyway. After she got his style down, _he'd _be the one defending.

* * *

"Are you cold?" Sasuke asked.

She was actually, but she could handle it. Sasuke couldn't really do anything about it anyway because he shivered just as much as she did. So Tenten shook her head. "I'm fine." With their hands still held tightly, she glanced up at the sky through the steel bars. "The stars look nice tonight."

He didn't glance upward. "Yeah, they do."

"So does the moon. It's pretty."

"Yeah." He didn't even remotely look at it.

Tenten smiled slightly. She was used to him saying things just for her benefit, even though the words were all lies. It bothered her sometimes that he didn't really _listen _to her and just made sure she was all right—but if she lost this protective and loving urge he had for her, then she'd hate that more.

Taking things for granted was selfish and painful in the end.

She shivered slightly, unable to stop her teeth from chattering.

"You _are _cold," he said and moved closer to her.

Tenten didn't object when he rubbed her arms and hands to revitalize the blood flow. She only looked down. "You're cold, too," she whispered, but he shook his head.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

She didn't answer the question. "What did their leader want you for? Who was he? What did he tell you?"

Sasuke stopped warming her, and sat back against the hard cold dirt that shaped their prison. Unless she was mistaken, the grimace and frown showed he was ashamed. "Nothing," he said.

"Who was he?"

"His name is Madara. That's all I know—"

"But he wanted you for something. I heard. Someone said, 'he wanted to see you.'" She curled up into a ball.

"Yeah, and he saw me. That's all that happened."

She frowned. _You're not telling me the truth. _The words weren't spoken aloud, but Sasuke guessed them.

"He just told me something stupid," Sasuke admitted. "It's not important."

"It is to me."

His mouth opened, and then closed defiantly. The conversation was over—either he was too ashamed or too stressed at their situation to tell her. She could wait. Her patience with him could stretch on forever, and it had to because with someone like him, answers never came fast.

She listened to the owls hoot and the wind blow across the tall grass. Even though it was hard to hear due to the noise coming from Dageki's members, she could still define the sounds. So peaceful, and she wondered how long the noise of normal things would be able to calm her.

"Sasuke," she began quietly. "Do you think someone's coming to save us?"

His onyx eyes studied her for a moment. "I told you already, I'm going to—"

"Let's not try to lie to each other anymore, okay?" The truth was what she wanted. "Do you think anyone cares what happens to us?"

Sasuke drew back and closed his eyes. A crease formed on his brow as he thought carefully. She watched him scan through every name and every person they'd ever known or heard of. Then finally his eyes opened, and he shook his head. "I don't remember anyone who would come."

It was the complete truth. Not surprised in the least, Tenten nodded. "This was Sai's fault, wasn't it?"

Sasuke's hand clenched down on the dirt beneath him. "Yeah." He let the dust fall through his fingers. "Tenten, listen I—"

Suddenly men launched the steel-barred door up and open, and reached. Tenten let out a gasp of surprise when it was her arms they reached for, and they heaved her out. Legs kicking freely, she tried to get away, but their grasp was just too tight.

"Tenten!" Sasuke shouted, trying to leap out from the hole, but another shoved the bars back over the entrance. "Tenten!"

Tears sprang to her eyes. The fingers wrapped around her arms would definitely leave bruises. "I'm okay, Sasuke, I'm—" Another hand clasped around her mouth, forcing her attention on simply breathing through her nose.

"Don't do anything stupid, Tenten! Just do what they say!" Sasuke's agonized voice called. "I promise we'll get out of here!"

He continued to cry out reassuring, empty words, but they had already taken her away.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Finished. ^^ Anyway, um, I can update again in a week, but as I said in my profile, the place I'm moving to for about four months might not have a connection to the internet. So if it does, then I'll update next weekend. If it doesn't, too bad, so sad… :-/ Won't be able to update for at least three months, lol. Sorry…. I'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading. Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow, about... 2 weeks? Not bad, considering me. :) But anyway, thanks for the review, and the favorites, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. As for me, I will soon be eating WEENNDDYYs as a reward for completing it!! Muwahhaha. :) Enjoy. :D Feedback is always appreciated whether I find the time to reply or not. :)**

Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to xshadowolf

_A Brother_

_

* * *

(With Suigetsu and Sakura)_

The second day of camp was better, believe it or not. She was bitter over their last sparring practice that was brought to an end because she "blocked" too much. He was bitter because she was bitter. So they both just ignored each other—which was nice for once.

The sound of simply the fire cackling and the crickets chirping relaxed her mind from the stress. She didn't fear the coming of Dageki tonight. And if they did happen to come, she felt prepared, especially since it was harder to know if Suigetsu was worrying. It bothered her to know end when he didn't have a care in teh world . . . .

Her eyes scanned the mountains ahead. They were still a long distance away, a distance in which food was scarce. She took a sip of her water bottle. It was still half full, but when she finished, would the others last until the end of the journey? Especially at the rate Suigetsu seemed to be drinking them.

He seemed to notice her fear. "They'll find us way sooner than you think they will, Princess. We probably brought too _much _water and food."

Still bitter, Sakura threw an angry glance at him. "You know you better get out of that habit. Calling me Princess won't help when they suspect me as actually being a princess."

"Sure, whatever you say, Princess."

"You're such an idiot."

"I know."

Even through the small conflict, a small smirk had spread across her face, and the anger had miraculously vanished. She laughed slightly at his stubbornness. He returned a chuckle. In some ways, Sakura was glad he agreed to come. Because somehow, even by insults, by name-calling, or by being obstinate, he could cheer her up from the stress she faced.

That was something no one had ever been able to do.

"Glad to see you're not mad at me anymore."

"You wish I wasn't," she teased.

"Take it out in a sparring match?'

"No, not tonight." She wasn't really in the mood unless she absolutely had to. Her current relaxed state would be broken by that. "So, tell me about yourself," Sakura continued curiously. "You know a lot about me, but I don't know much about you except that you're occasionally stupid and perverted."

He smirked. "That's pretty much all there is to know."

"Don't you have any family? Close friends?"

His face fell. "Not really."

"What about your team?" She leaned forward in anticipation.

"They're annoying."

The crickets stopped chirping, and it was deadly silent. Afraid to break it, Sakura leaned back again and folded her arms to keep warm.

"There is one person . . ." he started.

Sakura's gaze flipped back to his face, his almost lonely face. "Who?" she whispered, worried that too loud a noise would stop him from speaking.

"A brother." He paused as if recalling memories he had long kept at bay. "He was older than me, and always got the attention from my parents. He was always the best, and everyone loved him. In the process, they ignored me. But _he_ always treated me like somebody. We were the best of friends."

Looking down at the fire sympathetically, Sakura took his story in. The words were all in past tense. "What happened to him?"

He picked up a pebble and shuffled it from hand to hand. "My parents died when I was ten. And my brother left Otogakure without me." He threw the rock half-heartedly, and it landed far away. "_Lord _Orochimaru—" he spat the name like a curse "—did what he wanted when my brother, the highest ranking knight there at the time, left everyone to defend themselves against them."

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"I don't need your pity."

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Suigetsu, how old are you?"

He glanced at her cautiously. "Sixteen."

"But . . . you were sixteen when . . . Shizune . . ." Why hadn't she even thought about it before? Usually she could pick up on things fast. Why didn't she realize Suigetsu should have been at _least _in his thirties?

At once, he must've realized his mistake, for he shut up and looked away.

"Suigetsu, you're going to tell me how you're still sixteen," she demanded coolly. "Otherwise, this little adventure you're having is over, and you'll have to return to Otoga—"

"Hey, they'll kill me if I go back!" he shouted at her. "Didn't you ever wonder why I wanted that first condition in the first place? Living in Konohagakure? They don't deal well with people who 'run away.'"

"But you're trying to save one of their citizens!" she exclaimed, astonished at what he had said.

"Yeah, they don't really care about that."

The air grew bitter again. Finally realizing her mistake, Sakura closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry . . . Making you leave Otogakure was a bad decision on my part. I should never have forced you to abandon your home."

He didn't answer.

She inhaled deeply. "Why didn't you tell me you wouldn't be able to go back?"

"I thought you knew."

"I'm so sorry." The wind blew suddenly and disturbed the fire that had kept them warm for so long. Sakura adjusted the logs to keep it from going out, but soon only the coals of the fire remained. The flames had disappeared. "Suigetsu," she said cautiously. "Is Orochimaru the reason you haven't aged?"

"Yeah." There was not a bit of hesitation in his tone.

She took the sign to continue. "Do you like it? Apparently you will never die unless someone else kills you."

Laughing, Suigetsu shook his head at her "inability to understand." "I'd rather die than sit and watch everyone else die."

"I guess . . . that's true. So does that mean your brother is aging—"

"No." A pause. "Orochimaru forced him into the same eternity I'm stuck in long ago."

"So he's still alive?"

"Yeah, probably my age."

She smiled—this was definitely getting somewhere. "You'll probably want to meet him?"

"Yeah, what's with all these questions?"

Triumphant, Sakura leaned back again and folded her arms. Her head rose slightly because she had finally figured him out. "Then is that your second condition? Having help to meet your brother—wherever he is?" She knew it was now; it had to be. Waiting for the obvious yes, Sakura stared patiently at Suigetsu.

Yes. It would be a yes.

"No."

"_What?_"

Suigetsu snorted loudly. "Guess you still haven't figured me out as well as you'd like, hmm?"

She said nothing, only glared.

"The second condition will be a secret until you save Sasuke. 'Cause I'd rather have it done _after _we aren't on our toes all the time."

"Fine," she said stubbornly and and moved to lay down.

"Glad you agree, Princess."

She rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. Sleep touched her faster than she thought it could.

* * *

_(With Dageki)_

The comforting feeling Tenten felt around her brother was gone. It was dark and cold, and there was no one to ask how she was feeling or if she wanted something—even though Sasuke wouldn't be able to do anything about her requests at the moment, it helped to know that someone cared.

But now she was alone. And this time, scared.

Her eyes stung from the almost endless flow of tears that only stopped moments ago. Her hands ached from the rope tightly binding them together. Her legs hurt from the uncomfortable kneeling position she had been put in. The cloth gagging her would force her to choke if she forgot to breathe.

She couldn't see the stars or the moon, so she assumed they'd put her in one of the many tents she'd seen. It was pitch black.

Suddenly the dull light of the moon streamed in—blinding her—as the tent door flapped open and someone entered. It was a man with light brown hair and almost silver eyes. He allowed the door to remain open in order for some light to pass through, and he knelt putting his hands around the cloth silencing her.

She didn't recognize him, but she guessed he was one of the men in charge. Definitely not this Madara, whom Sasuke spoke of, but someone important.

"Are you hungry?"

She sent a glare and shook her head.

"Thirsty?"

She glared more.

"Madara-sama will be delayed seeing you for the moment if you pretend to be hungry. Or do you want to see him now?"

Her wall crumbled, and she cried a little. She wanted things to be as they were before. Even with Sai being a creep sometimes, and their mother living in a dungeon, and Orochimaru watching over their every move—it was nicer than this. She didn't want to be separated from Sasuke.

But she didn't want others to be separated either.

Her tears kept coming, despite her efforts to stop them. Crying in front of her enemy—how pitiful was that!

"I'll ask one more time," the man said. "Are you hungry?"

Finally realizing the aching in her stomach was hunger, she nodded, and he unwrapped the cloth.

The water he gave her tasted old, and the bread felt dry on her tongue. How long had it been since she'd eaten? How long had it been since _Sasuke _had eaten? She worried now, afraid that he would die from the lack of water or from starvation—and stopped herself before her thoughts jumped too far ahead.

Sasuke's strength always surprised her. He would be fine.

After she finished, the same man replaced the cloth and pulled her gently by the arm. Outside the tent, some fires still burned, and some of Dageki still lingered. But mostly it seemed that everyone had gone to bed.

The man holding her suddenly began to speak. "Madara-sama likes to see each of you before we decide who stays and who goes to the mountains. Be courteous to him, and you might get to stay."

Tenten couldn't decide if he was being nice or just threatening her. His tone suggested the latter. She didn't speak.

When they reached Madara, Tenten was forced to her knees, and the man who brought her also knelt before him.

"Thank you, Pein," said the voice behind the orange, round mask said. His voice shook with the experience of old age. "You may go now."

"Yes, my Lord." He rose and stepped away.

Tenten glared at this new stranger fiercely.

Madara stood and walked toward her, the robe he wore deeming his actions mechanical. "We've caught ourselves a brave one, haven't we?" he said pleasantly. "I'm surprised that you can hold your gaze. Most of our slaves . . . _can't_."

Instantly the air held a terrifying aura, and Tenten was forced to look away. Her cheek stung slightly as Madara removed the cloth, scratching her with a fingernail.

"You're a monster," she tried to say—it came out as a whisper.

Still he heard it. "Who's the monster? I'd say your wretched father would fit into that category very nicely."

Her eyes met Madara's face again. She held his gaze. "What are you trying to do? If you think my father's so evil, maybe you should think again because you are just as hideous as he is! My father doesn't keep children as slaves!"

"No, he more subtly keeps children as slaves," Madara responded, twisting her words around. "I do admire his efforts. Don't try to deny you haven't been a slave for the past fourteen years. That Sasuke isn't Orochimaru's slave. Your mother has serv—"

"Stop it! Sasuke and I could have left at any—"

He continued to speak over the top of her, as if she'd never intervened. "Your mother has served him quite well. She ran away for a time, did you know? Before you were born. But she came back—taking Sasuke and Sai with her. Then only later she gave birth to you, handing you straight over to your father. Could you ever have guessed your mother was such a traitor? A woman from Konoha allowing her own children to be used by their father? How pitiful."

"You're lying! If what you say is true, then why is she behind bars?" Tenten screamed.

A ghostly smirk raked his voice. "'Lord' Orochimaru keeps you subtly as a slave. Didn't you say you could have left at any time? The only thing keeping you there was your mother's captiv—"

Tears rolling down her face, Tenten shrieked to block out the rest of his words. He was destroying the family bonds, the most precious thing to her in the world! She didn't want to hear it!

His gloved hand cupped her cheek, shushing her to silence. "Oh, don't worry, dear. The shock will wear off soon. Besides, Sasuke still loves you, doesn't he?"

Sasuke. _Sasuke_. "What did you tell Sasuke?" she demanded bitterly.

Madara laughed a cruel, insatiable laugh. "That little conversation is between him and me. Unless you can say 'please' and 'thank you.'"

The mockery angered her, and she spat in his face.

Chuckling at the childish action, Madara backed away. "Apparently there's no hope for you. You just might be sent to the ones across the mountains unless I myself decide you can entertain me."

She sent a glare, fresh with tears.

"Take her back to her loving brother. Let's see how long that bond lasts."

* * *

_(With Dageki)_

With folded arms, Sasuke attempted to suppress his endless trembling. It was freezing. The middle of the night had arrived, and it felt like a desert—scorching hot in the afternoon and alarmingly cold at night. The air was getting painful to breathe, his thoughts hard to remember.

All he could think was that Tenten was in trouble, and there was nothing else. His heart drummed in his chest. What if that had been the last time he would ever talk to her—again? There were so many things left unsaid, so many things he should've told her, so many lies he shouldn't have created.

Some commotion above him started, and he listened intently. Tenten's voice shouted at the men taking her towards him. He couldn't make out exactly what she was saying, and yet he was glad she was fighting back, despite his warning not to.

The bars above him lifted, and his sister—no, his . . . friend—was tossed back inside. His numb arms tried to catch her, but they wouldn't move fast enough. "Tenten," he whispered through cracked and dry lips. "Tenten, did they hurt you?"

"No, I . . . I'm fi—Sasuke, are you all right?" Her eyes scanned his body and face, and he could see panic in them. "Oh my God." She leaned forward and put her hands on his cheeks. "You're _freezing_. How long have you been like this?"

He didn't feel like answering. "I'm fine, Tenten." His usual censored answer. He expected her to withdraw and at least, pretend to believe him.

But she didn't. "No, you're _not_. You're . . . You're . . . I thought they'd give you water and something to eat."

Sasuke stayed silent.

That was when she began begging their guards for water. She called and called and called for their help, and they never gave it. Exhausted and wanting nothing more than to sleep, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to stop her. But every time his eyes closed, she'd wake him back up. It occurred to him that she thought he was dying.

What scared him most was that he couldn't promise he wasn't—and without him, who would save her?

And so her words trailed on through the night, the night in which no one answered.

* * *

**A/N: Stupid filler chapter, but the next one is really good IMHO. :P I'll update as soon as I can!! The next chapter will be my favorite, and hopefully yours!! :D Thanks again for everyone support while I attempt to write this. See you soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, sorry for the late update (I've had this written for a month, lol). But I have two excuses. One, I had an AP American History test last week, and I shut off most my access to the computer. Two, I get kind of nervous posting chapters when I don't have a single word written out for the next one. Speaking of that, I might not update as soon this time 'cause I'm sort of… out of chapters--at least, completed ones. But don't worry! I got tons of new ideas to write! So let's go! Thanks for reviews! Enjoy!!**

* * *

Shattered Hearts  
By SpacePirateGirl  
Dedicated to xshadowolf

* * *

_(Otogakure Palace)_

Shikamaru's fingers drummed against the dark brown desk. He didn't like this man—Orochimaru, the King of Otogakure. The mysterious tone in his voice, the fact that even with Shikamaru's high intelligence and perception, this king still remained hidden in his façade of lies. The mask bothered him.

For the moment, Shikamaru remained silent, allowing the knight Gai, and his apprentice, Lee, do the questioning. But Orochimaru wasn't answering honestly, and they weren't getting anywhere with the conversation, unnoticed by any of his companions besides himself.

So Shikamaru finally broke in. "Have any of your men disappeared recently?" he asked. A plausible question, and Orochimaru didn't seem to find anything suspicious about it. However, Shikamaru knew if this one question was answered, everything else would, as well.

"Actually yes," his snake-like tone hissed. "Disappearances used to happen frequently, but after punishing all of those who left, the trouble died down. Three days or so ago, however, someone was either brave or insane enough to leave."

Shikamaru smiled discreetly—finally something was achieved. "May I ask who this someone was?"

"You may." The king was still lost as to where the conversation was going—and he didn't even realize that he _was _lost. "The man's name was Suigetsu Hozuki. I can remember nothing special about him, other than that several years ago his team was higher-ranked."

"What position does his team hold now?"

He let out an insincere, drawn-out sigh merely for his audience. "I do not recall the specifics, for it is not a rank worth mentioning."

Shikamaru nodded and withdrew into his shell of silence again. Gai and Lee continued the conversation asking pointless and unanswered questions. That confirmed his suspicions—Sakura was on the move, and this Suigetsu Hozuki accompanied her.

After another drawn-out hour of interrogation, permitted ever so "kindly" by King Orochimaru, Gai stated that their business was finished and thanked him for his trouble.

"Anything for your lovely Queen and her husband. Tell her she is free to visit any time."

Shikamaru stood as Gai and Orochimaru shook hands. Then the three began to leave, and opened the creaking door slowly. Lee and Gai left first, and Shikamaru followed cautiously, hoping for one last remark from Otogakure's King that he could analyze later.

He got what he wanted. "Hold up there, young man," Orochimaru said, his body slithering forward, carried by his feet. "Princess Sakura's marriage to my son must not be forgotten."

"Which son?" Shikamaru asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Prince Sai, of course."

"Of course," he agreed. "Sasuke is no longer a prince, is he?"

The man didn't answer.

"Sakura will not forget." Shikamaru set his hands in his pockets. "With your entire help and honesty, we will find her, and the marriage will proceed." Stressing the words entire help, he got his message across.

"Of course. Another war between our nations would be costly." Orochimaru had heard his message all too well.

A war was exactly what this man wanted.

* * *

_(Crossing to the West Mountains)_

The third night, Suigetsu challenged her to a spar, and she couldn't refuse. Now that she understood him the tiniest bit better, she wouldn't just be blocking tonight. They'd have a real match.

"Remember, Princess," he warned before they started, "Dageki doesn't give you points for going easy on me."

She rolled her eyes, and surprised herself at the unladylike action. Her mother always scolded her for rolling her eyes. "Yeah, they won't give _you_ any points for holding back either."

"All right, let's go then."

This time, Sakura didn't have to wait for him to attack first. She already knew his way of fighting, and there was no need to analyze the first few minutes of the fight. So she just lunged in and attacked.

Surprised, Suigetsu blocked, and tried to get in an uppercut. Sakura dodged easily, and began a fury of blows in which Suigetsu could only defend. Then when she was worn out from the effort, he took the advance. Soon both of them harmoniously blocked and attacked.

They danced around the bright fire that flickered and wavered in response.

Suigetsu was teaching her things she'd never leaned in hand-to-hand combat. Her father had had her taught how to handle a weapon, and she was surprisingly good at it. But she had fought everyone at Konohagakure, and now it was simply boring to fight the same people over and over again.

But now with a new opponent, she was finally getting more in tune with how to diversify her skill.

As he seemed to think about her as well.

The only distraction was Dageki, and the possibility that they would take them unprepared. Tonight, the hair on her neck already stood as a warning.

* * *

_(With Dageki)_

"There's a fire over there, Uchiha-sama," said Pein to the leader, "and Kisame and Itachi inspected the situation. The citizens are crossing to the west mountains, and nobody does that these days."

Knowingly Madara nodded. "Trying to find us, are they?"

"It would appear so. What are your orders?"

Madara pondered their options for a moment. Killing was not always a good idea because it was irreversible—for now—and he always ended up regretting it later. But leaving them alive could be just as dangerous. One option left. "How many did you say there were?"

"Itachi says they saw only two, my Lord."

He smirked from under his mask. "Send the ones we spoke of earlier to attack. We'll watch and wait to see what happens."

"Very well."

* * *

_(Outside of Otagakure Palace)_

Gai and Lee were waiting by their horses, all ready to leave at a moment's notice. Night had fallen. Dageki always made their moves in the dark. They had so little time. Shikamaru rushed towards his two companions.

"So Shikamaru," Lee said in his energetic voice, "what did you discover? Should we investigate this Suigetsu more before leave, or—"

"No, we have no time." Usually lazy and unmotivated, Shikamaru was suddenly serious now. "Sakura is heading out to find Dageki, and if we don't find her first, then another war will be inevitable."

Lee quickly mounted his horse, as did Shikamaru. However, Gai was a bit more hesitant. "How does Sakura searching for Dageki lead to a war?"

Shikamaru sighed. They were short on time, and answering questions would take a while. "If Princess Sakura doesn't marry Prince Sai, then Orochimaru will not hesitate to bring war upon us. We need to get her back before she can succeed in finding Dageki."

The knight nodded. "Very well. You'll answer questions as we ride."

Agreeing silently, Shikamaru scanned the distance, even though it would be too dark to see anyone crossing across the barren land. He knew Sakura would head towards the far mountains in the West in hopes of Dageki finding _her_. It was what he would do, and Sakura would have definitely thought of it, as well—or Suigetsu Hozuki had.

He could see nothing in the dark though, and the distance was too great to see anything if they waited till day. But then his eyes caught a small light—what looked like a fire. Fires were always easily seen at night. Then his eyes moved to the right, and he saw more campfires, and knew Dageki was there.

The lights were almost invisible, and if Shikamaru hadn't known what to look for, he wouldn't have seen it. But there it was—Dageki's campsite. They were close to the other light which was no doubt Princess Sakura's.

"Shikamaru?" Lee asked.

He ignored the voice. Suddenly Dageki's fires disappeared into the darkness. Only Sakura's remained. The fires were gone, which meant Dageki was moving . . . He knew where.

"Shikamaru, shouldn't we be rushing to find her?" Gai cut in suddenly.

This time, he listened because he knew the answer beforehand: "No," his voice said thickly, "we're already too late."

* * *

_(Crossing to the West Mountains)_

She wasn't sure who was winning. Then again, they had only been fighting for about two minutes. But at the very least, she was sure she wasn't losing, and Suigetsu registered shock on his face plenty of times to let her know he _was _actually trying his best to defeat her.

What bothered her most was how laid-back he seemed about the situation. His entire focus rested on her and her alone. Didn't he realize Dageki could come any time and kill them if they weren't prepared?

She understood now that she _could _beat him if he had her whole attention. But some sixth sense kept her focus not just on him but all around them, waiting for someone to attack. She could win if no danger existed.

Her sixth sense flamed up, and a warning bell rang in her head. She blocked Suigetsu's sudden blow, and shoved him backward with all her strength. When he lunged back to attack, she couldn't help it; she jumped away in terror, and yelled at him to stop.

He did stop, though a grin spread across his face. "What, giving up?"

"Shh," she whispered. It was silent. Completely silent. No approaching footsteps, no twigs snapping, no sign of anyone coming. But . . . something was wrong. It was dead silent, but something was definitely off.

"There's no one coming, Sakura," he said, serious for once. "The air is as dead as a rock. It's quiet."

"Shh, I know." Her hair stood up on the back of her neck, and shivers ran up and down her spine fluently. The wind blew—it was almost dry. So quiet, so completely silent except for the wind whispering— "That's it! That's the problem!" she realized out loud. "Suigetsu, hurry! They're coming!"

Sakura already rushed towards her bag, and unsheathed the scimitar. It felt awkward—it wasn't hers—but her urgency and desperation almost spoke to the weapon. It understood. Suddenly it became just an extension of her arm.

"What're you talking about?" her companion retorted. "There's nothing—"

She heard them now. "Watch out!" she shouted, and lunged in front of him.

The sword crashed down.

And it was huge.

Her emerald eyes widened, and her whole body screamed in protest. Her arms ached dully. This weapon was five feet long and at least one foot wide. The pressure of it pushing down on her own feeble blade almost sent her to her knees—and it had _gravity _on its side as well. She struggled, almost letting out a cry of frustration, to keep it up in the air, and the whole world seemed to freeze. Suigetsu, behind her; the huge, gigantic sword above her; and the Dageki member, hidden in the dark, in front of her.

Then it moved too fast.

The ache in her arms replaced itself with a scorching, searing pain when her opponent lifted it from her own blade, and the blade swung around with a whiz that she just barely ducked beneath. Then it swung down again, and she leaped to the side. "Suigetsu!" she yelled angrily.

Finally he came back to reality and jumped to his own weapon. Compared to this huge thing, though, Sakura knew it was like a pebble compared to a boulder—and her own weapon was like a drop of sand. _Shit, shit, shit, shit_, she chanted to herself.

She noticed Suigetsu enter the fight, and realized too late that he was more offensive than he was defensive. She saw the sword come down as he struggled to land his own blow—too late, she saw that he didn't dodge in time. The sword cut right into his shoulder, and he let out a yelp.

It soon became a piercing scream.

Horrified at first, Sakura stared helplessly at him for not even half a second before she realized she couldn't do anything. She did have to thank him for his inadvertent sacrifice because now she could charge in while her opponent's weapon was stuck in Suigetsu's body. Blow after blow, and he continued to dodge her, all while struggling to regain power over his own weapon.

Then—just as she had him right where she wanted him—a knife flew out of nowhere. She dodged it barely (the knife, hitting the ground beneath her), and waited for the new opponent to appear.

A blade as quick as the wind stabbed out of nowhere. Sakura shoved her own weapon against it, swaying it to the right. Just then, the huger sword escaped Suigetsu's shoulder and swung down. She ducked and struck at the smaller one, who blocked easily. Her awareness stretched all around her, even noting how Suigetsu fell flat on the ground, how both her opponents moved, how their weapons moved.

Then finally the pattern became clear to her—Sakura moved onto the offensive. At first she made tiny mistakes due to the still needed clarity between the two opponents moves. The smaller sword stabbed her lightly on the arm, once, the huge weapon missed beheading her by a millimeter.

But then she had it down.

The smaller one struck, and she kicked him in the face, only to spur her speed in striking the one with the _huge _blade. She succeeded in striking him but not where she would have liked. He dodged slightly, and she landed just a slight cut to his abdomen. The other was back again, and she ducked the huge sword while sending her weapon upwards toward a head.

The blade connected, but only lightly on her opponent's skin.

The battle went on, and Sakura realized she was fighting _men_. They wouldn't tire easily, and though she had dealt some blows, she already felt her strength decreasing.

Then when she had already had enough, she heard even more footsteps approach. All of Dageki, it seemed, was coming. How would she fight them? She could hardly handle her two opponents now, and without Suigetsu's help, all of Dageki would kill her in an instant!

A voice of Dageki from behind the battle called out darkly, "All right, all right, that's enough slicing each other up."

The huge blade swung around one last time, and Sakura leapt backwards to dodge it. Sweat poured into her eyes, but she was too careful to wipe it off with a sleeve—that would require letting her guard down, and she wasn't sure what was going on yet. Her breath entered and left in short quick gasps, but still she held her scimitar at the ready, positioning herself in front of Suigetsu, who appeared to be unconscious.

"The fighting's over, girl," the same, terrifying voice said. "You can relax."

She didn't relax. She kept her sword up.

A man appeared, his face hidden by a bright, yet somehow dark orange mask. A hole that revealed a sinister red eye sat on the mask's left side, and a black cloak of red clouds covered his body. Even gloves covered the skin on his hands and arms. He walked with a sense of authority.

Sakura didn't back down.

"Apparently you'll need some convincing that we'll do you no harm now," he said and chuckled. "Dageki, would you kindly lower your weapons?"

A clanking of metal hitting metal sounded in the eerily quiet air. Their weapons were gone.

She hesitated slightly, but exhaustion overcame her caution, and she lowered her sword.

"Well?" he continued. "What brings you here? Crossing across the open plains when you know we roam freely here sounds as though you're looking for us, eh?"

This man's gaze seemed to bore into her skull—she couldn't even see his eyes, and yet she knew. It was terrifying. This man had seen many battles and killed many men. She could feel it. If he wanted her dead, she would be dead before she knew what hit her.

"I'm waiting for an answer." His voice held the experience of many years.

"I . . ." She took a breath. "My companion and I came to join Dageki. We understood you'd find us if we attempted passage to the mountains in the west."

"Name?" He took a step forward.

"My companion's name is—"

"_Your _name?"

She paused slightly. "Hanami." It was the first thing that came to mind.

His gaze bore deeper. "Well, Hanami, you certainly did show your skill this evening. Do you still care to join us?"

This was the moment, the moment where she could either turn back or go through with her plan. She already knew her answer, but for some reason hesitation clouded her mind.

"You would do well to join. Otherwise, you would know far too much information. I would rather have you alive, but if your choice forces me to—"

"I'll join," she said curtly. Sasuke. She had to remember Sasuke, her fiance, Sasuke, the one she loved.

"Good call." A smirk wove through the threads of his voice. He turned to the rest of Dageki. "Kill the other one."

At first, she didn't understand his meaning. The men started forward, some picking up their weapons, and some just coming with their fists. "Wait, what are you doing?" They ignored her question, and continued forward. Then the facts clicked in her head, and she understood. "No!"

Still no response.

"_No!_"

The man, their leader, seemed amused at her.

There was only one solution. Sakura picked up her scimitar as they inched closer, and held it to her own heart.

The amusement vanished.

They had only been with each other for a few days, but Sakura felt a sort of attachment to Suigetsu, a feeling that wouldn't go away. It wasn't love—of course, it wasn't love. But it definitely bordered on friendship. And though she _said _she would risk everything, including her life, for Sasuke, she wasn't about to give up on Suigetsu, the one who had made the trip more easy and relaxed, the one who could joke so quickly, the one who had improved her technique. The one who still had his older brother to find.

She didn't leave debts unpaid. And she had a debt to him—the two conditions. Sakura wasn't about to leave that behind either.

"What is the meaning of this?" Madara questioned darkly.

A breath caught in her lungs. She was so scared, but . . . "You said you would rather me not die. Well, I'll say this: kill Suigetsu, and I will die. Let him join, and I won't. It's an all-or-nothing deal. Take it or leave it. There's no room for negotiations."

Her conditions were finished. Silence remained.

And then the man let out a cruel and almost maniacal laugh, starting as a chuckle and ending with a boom. "You do realize that we do not accept weaklings?"

"He's no weakling," she shot back coolly. "We were sparring, and he was taken by surprise. That's all. Besides, your group is full of strong men. Even if he is as weak as you think, he won't slow you down."

"He might during battles. Our guerilla tactics won't work if someone's a bit slow."

The grasp on her weapon strengthened, and her voice became bitter. "I said there's no room for negotiations."

"You're quite the noble woman there. My name is Uchiha Madara. We accept your request." He strolled forward and held out a hand.

Sakura put down her sword, and they shook on it.

"My Lord," said another man from behind, "the sun is rising."

Looking around, Sakura found no trace of a rising sun, but for some reason, she couldn't doubt the words. They—all of Dageki—were superior, even to someone trained as well as she was.

Madara nodded. "We'll take cover in the forest near Konohagakure. Let's move."

* * *

_(Konohagakure Palace Gardens)_

They had rushed hastily back to Konohagakure while Dageki was distracted by Sakura's and Suigetsu's trek toward the west mountains. Jiraiya had met with them instantly, and Shikamaru had told him all of what had occurred and all that he could make of it. They had discovered a lot—the bad news was that time had been one step ahead of them.

The list of problems and solutions came down harshly. Sakura was in danger; that was one problem. War with Otogakure was coming—another problem, linked with the third. Konohagakure had no other heir for the marriage. Every single one needed a solution, and yet they were all linked to where they had to solve all of them at once in order to fix the others.

The situation was impossible.

For the first time since he'd been born, Shikamaru felt stressed. He'd never left a problem unanswered. The solution had always been there, but this time it wasn't. The real problem was that Sakura was selfish. The truth hid from everyone else, and the only reason _he_ knew it was there because he understood her completely.

Sakura seemed selfless in marrying Sasuke to prevent a war on the surface. Underneath, she just wanted to marry him because she had imagined the moment since childhood. Sakura seemed selfless in going to save Sasuke on the surface. Underneath, she wanted to save him because she wanted him to love her. Sakura talked politely and nicely, yet that was just a way of hiding her selfishness underneath.

He didn't hate her for it. Many people he knew were more selfish than she. But it certainly would've helped if she considered the entity of Konohagakure itself first, and the danger of sinking into a war, before she ran off on some wild, selfish quest to gain Sasuke's love. Especially because she was a princess.

There was no solution. Not a one, now that she was gone.

Unless . . .

There was more information.

* * *

_(Konohagakure Palace)_

King Jiraiya stood solemnly glancing out his window after giving entrance to Shikamaru. He wondered where Sakura was and if she was okay. The sword training she had been taught hopefully had paid off. Because if she failed, then she would . . .

He cut himself off. Now was the time to hear what Shikamaru had to say.

"I apologize for asking to see you on such short notice," the young boy said.

Surprised, Jiraiya turned; Shikamaru never wasted effort to apologize. He got straight to the point and didn't dilly-daddle on unimportant things. Which meant this conversation would be important. _And _stressful for himself. Nevertheless, he gave the signal to continue.

"If a political marriage doesn't happen, war _will_," Shikamaru said slowly as if it was extremely important to understand. "Princess Sakura, your _only _heir, isn't here to perform that marriage."

"We're in a bind," Jiraiya agreed. "Negotiations just might delay the war while we search for her."

Shikamaru shook his head. "That's what I was thinking, but it's just too risky. The real problem is that our priorities aren't straight. Princess Sakura is surely fine right now, so searching for her doesn't take priority. A marriage does. We need an heir—"

"I don't have one stashed up my sleeve unfortunately," he joked lightly. "And waiting for a new child to grow will take longer than searching for Sakura."

Shikamaru shifted slightly. "I know. But I think you _do _have one stashed up your sleeve."

The King frowned. "Are you accusing me of—"

"Yes."

Silence carried the fragments of the conversation. Jiraiya sat down in his chair and pondered the statement. "And what evidence do you have?"

"I hear Dageki captured nearly all children that they crossed in the city," he explained. "Except there was one situation where the family did make contact with the rogues, and Dageki still stole no children. I find it odd—unless what I believe about you is true."

Jiraiya leaned back into his chair. "You're a very smart man, Shikamaru. Too smart sometimes. But you're right. _Two _heirs are stashed up my sleeve actually."

This seemed to relieve Shikamaru of some of his exhaustion and anxiety. "Is one a girl?"

"Yes, she is. But nobody except her mother and I know. It would be harmful to throw this on the girl all at the same time . . ."

"But not impossible," Shikamaru finished. "You should send word to your other two children at once because things are happening way too fast. War could be declared tomorrow for all we know . . . I thank you for your time."

With that, Jiraiya stood and shook Shikamaru's hand. "Good work. Nobody else would have discovered this solution. Not even me while I had all the necessary information."

The young advisor nodded a thanks and left.

* * *

_(With Dageki)_

They had set up camp by a small lake of water with tents and campfires. The ride was horrible though. They had few horses, and the only reason she had received one was because Suigetsu had been loosing a lot of blood and it was tough to tend to him and walk at the same time. But it was okay now.

The bleeding was down to a minimum since it was bandaged up. He wouldn't die, and he wasn't in danger of it anymore. But he hadn't woken up yet, and the healing of the things like muscles, ribs, and a few other bones would take a while. Oddly enough his lung had been spared.

Still the cut was deep. He was lucky he didn't get his arm chopped off, let alone die. Sakura mentally thanked her mother, the Queen of Konohagakure, for teaching her healing techniques because without them Suigetsu _would _have died.

She examined his shoulder again—torn ligaments, muscles, broken bones everywhere. It would take quite a while to heal.

He began to stir. In only seconds, his eyes opened slightly. Finally he was conscious! It had been forever, but here he was, awake! Sakura smiled slightly. "Hey, Suigetsu," she whispered.

Confused, and probably disoriented, he just stared at her. Then suddenly he blinked and tried to sit up, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. A groan escaped his lips, and Sakura pushed him back down so the wound wouldn't reopen. He didn't resist.

"What happened?" he grunted.

"You got hit—"

"I know, after that."

Sakura went on to tell him everything that had occurred since he blacked out, and he listened intently, every once in a while glancing at her in surprise. After she finished, he remained silent for a good minute.

"_You_ did all that?" he said.

She nodded. "Well, I really think this will be easier with some help, so obviously I wouldn't let them kill you without a fight," she said spontaneously, making it up as she went along. She didn't want him thinking they were any closer than they had been—because she hated it when he started getting perverted on her.

But she didn't fool him. The grin appeared, though it was partially hidden by pain. "Oh, come on, you wouldn't threaten to kill yourself just 'cause 'it'll be easier.' Admit it, you like me."

Smiling slightly, she shrugged. "Not the way you would think I do, but yes."

"By the way, how'd you know they were coming? I didn't hear anything."

Her smile widened. "It was _completely_ silent. There weren't any mice scurrying around, and the crickets stopped chirping. Even the wind stopped. It took me a second to figure out, but . . ."

"Nice job, Princess," he remarked in his cocky tone.

"Thank you."

Suigetsu glanced at his own wound, and Sakura's content face fell. The entire mood of the moment darkened. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Really bad." There was no point in lying.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. "How long?"

"A month or two—at least."

A pause.

"Sleeping will help a little."

He nodded, ever so slightly, and rested his head on the pillow she had supplied. "Goodnight, Prin—wait, what's your name here now?"

"Hanami," Sakura whispered. Her fake name. She would have to live a lie. The shock had worn off, and now it was clear exactly what had happened. She was in the middle of a place full of bandits and thieves and _monsters_, and she was here by choice, and if she tried to get out, they would kill her, and she didn't want to leave anyway, and—

"Don't cry, Hanami." Lavender eyes watched her from beneath half-closed lids.

She felt her own face with her hands, not even realizing tears had escaped her composed mask.

"You don't get points . . . with Dageki . . . for crying . . ." Then he fell asleep.

Hanami, Sasuke's lover, Princess of Konohagakure, and foolish Sakura—was alone.


End file.
